Five Years
by Lilith Rei
Summary: Orihime finds herself alone in the realm of darkness, she slowly begins to come to grips with her situation. After five years, Ichigo returns to the front to try and retrieve her, unexpected conflicts stand in his way.[spoilers for 230 on]OrixIch GrimxOri
1. Chapter 1

_I'm jumping on the Bleach bandwagon and making a story. Yes, after the chapter last week, I have suddenly found the inspiration to do a Bleach fic. I'll tell you right now, it'll probably end up being a long story, and there will be parts people like, and parts that piss people off. Then again, the good stories are always like that, yes:D_

_Well, I hope you enjoy it. Send a review and tell me what you think._

_Note: I am slowly revising this story. There may be mistakes here and there, but I am slowly fixing them. Thanks for your patience. _

_Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach_

* * *

Orihime followed him through the complex, finding herself glancing out one of the windows. Looking at the dead landscape made her shiver. There were rocks and gravel, cliffs...no trees, plants, animals...nothing. It was completely dead. Either that, or nothing had ever lived there in the first place. 

"Aizen-sama has instructed you to begin healing the returning squad."

"Pardon?"

Ulquiorra still had his hands in his pockets. When he spoke, it was only when something needed to be said.

"Aizen-sama wants you to heal the wounded first, and then to report to the Great Hall." he said, "It's an order."

"Yes, sir."

She followed him into a large hall, the Healing Room.

The wounded team had just returned. Yami was busy berating Wyce in the corner. Ulquiorra suspected that the young Espada gave him the creeps. Then again, for an Arancar, he was pretty strange.

"Ah, Grimmjow, another bout with Kurosaki?" Ulquiorra stood next to the half-dead Espada. The tall man glarred at him,

"Shut the fuck up. It's not like you can beat him." he said.

"Maybe not. But at least I would have the brains to die trying. Aizen-sama will not be pleased that you failed to kill him again."

Orihime felt her breath catch. _So this was the one that had injured Kurosaki-kun so badly..._

"This is Orihime Inoue. Treat her with respect. She will heal you all and then you will report back to your duties. Harm her in any fashion, and you will die."

They all stared at her intently.

"I must brief Aizen-sama myself." he said, "Call security if they give you trouble. Excuse me."

Ulquiorra left. He left her with a whole group of Espada that were now staring at her as if they wanted to eat her. She stepped forward and assessed Grimmjow's injuries first. He was the most injured, and he was missing an arm. She raised her hands,

"_Ayame..." _she whispered to herself.

Grimmjow couldn't help but stare at the petite woman that was now healing his wounds.

"Who the fuck are you?"

Ulquiorra had left her alone with this barbarian that had tried to kill Kurosaki-kun twice now. Orihime made a face at him,

"I believe that is the rudest thing anyone has ever said to me."

"Whatever. Answer the question."

"No."

Rupee started laughing hysterically, and Yami looked like he was about to bust. Giving them both hard glares, he turned back to her. Wyce still curled in the corner, looking as spacey as ever. It was still obvious that even he was rather intently focused on the situation.

"Answer it or I'll kill you, woman."

"Fine." she snapped, "Not that I care at this point anyway. While your at it-" she stopped healing him, "-you can heal your own wounds yourself, you jerk!"

His mouth dropped open. Now Rupee was laughing.

"Hey!" he yelled, "Don't help her." Grimmjow glared at her, "Heal my wounds, woman!"

"Apologize."

There was instant silence.

"Wh...what?" Grimmjow's mouth fell open again.

"Apologize or bleed. Pick one." Orihime folded her arms.

"...so...y..."

"What? I didn't hear you."

"...sorry..."

"Pardon?"

"SORRY, OKAY?!" he roared, "Damn, damn, shit, damn it..."

She sighed, and resumed healing his wounds.

It was a start.

* * *

Ulquiorra wandered into the Healing room, and stared at the sight before him. Yami and Rupee were trying their best to not die laughing, Grimmjow was silently brooding, and Wyce was quiet as normal. Inoue had complete control of his Espada crew without his aid, or the aid of the any of the other leaders. 

He was not one to be surprised or impressed. But there was a sense of...unexpectedness that came from the entire scene. There was obviously more to this human girl then they thought, and she seemed a lot more capable.

"Must you all stand in here and waste time?" Ulquiorra glared across the room, "If you are not injured, report back to your duties till I summon you."

"Ah! You're such a killjoy!" Rupee shrieked, "If I was commander I wouldn't care!"

"That's why your not giving orders. If you don't like it, talk to Aizen-sama." he said, "Inoue-san already has enough work to do."

Grimmjow gave a grunt, and Yami glared off to the side. He was again in the sickbay, and he was again being treated for being injured in battle. Ulquiorra could tell it would be a while for the big man to stop being in a crappy mood.

"Aizen-sama requests your presence in the Great Hall when you are finished. Grimmjow, Wyce...you two will escort her." he said.

Orihime glared back at the shorter Espada. It was true that he was not as powerful as Grimmjow or Rupee, but he was powerful enough to look strong and give orders. The others followed him, even though they complained so much Inoue was close to attempting to fry them all herself.

"Yes, sir." she nodded.

"Yes, nuthin'." Grimmjow said, "There's no way I'm baby-sitting a woman and a _noron_."

Wyce seemed slightly indigent to the comment, but said nothing.

"Do what I say or I will cut off your other arm, Grimmjow."

He made a face, and then resigned to the fact that he was weakened. Ulquiorra exchanged a glance with her, and nodded,

"You will have assigned quarters tonight." he said, "When you are finished with all your work, and the meeting with Aizen-sama, you will be permitted to rest for the next 5 hours."

_5 hours? _

She would take it anyway. It would take a while getting used to their work hours.

* * *

When she was finished, Grimmjow had retrieved new clothes from somewhere, and had disappeared to go dress. She found herself curious about the young-looking boy in the corner. Walking over to him, she looked him over. 

"Are you injured?"

He said nothing, staring back at her. There was a creepy sense about him, like he was all there. When she meant not 'all there', she was talking about mentally. Holding out a hand to him, she gave him the biggest smile she could muster without looking terrified,

"It's okay. I'm not going to hurt you." she said, "I'm Orihime."

Wyce stared back at her, and then poked her hand with a finger. Slowly, he began to creep forward, and she crawled back. She found dread wash over her as he began to crawl closer and closer, not caring that he was now gripping her arms till she thought they would break-

"Damn kid." Grimmjow grabbed his collar, lifting him high in the air off of her, "You numbskull."

"That's not very nice. Calling someone a numbskull." she managed to reply, although she was rattled.

"I was talking about you." he said, "You're an idiot for approaching someone like this looney. Come on, or I'll blame you for all this shit and laugh as Aizen-sama takes your head off."

"Gee, thanks."

* * *

She followed them down the hallway. Or rather, followed Grimmjow, and Wyce crept behind the two of them. Some guards. 

"Well, you're welcome..." she muttered.

"Wha 'zat?" he glared at her.

"Nothing."

He started murmuring another string profanity to himself, again, as he pushed open the large doors. A voice boomed towards her that sent shivers down her spine.

"Ah, Inoue-san, come in."

She walked past Grimmjow, how glowered down at her, and he and Wyce entered in after her, closing the door. They stood off to the side as she walked down the isle, staring up at the former Shinigami captain.

"Aizen Sousuke." he looked at her, "You are quite the remarkable young lady."

"Orihime Inoue." she bowed slightly, "Thank you, sir."

"It is an honor to have such talent among us, even though it has been...helped along, so to speak?" he said, "I hope the Espada are not giving you too much trouble. I know they are uncivilized, barbaric creatures. A sophisticated young lady such as yourself must be disgusted."

If Grimmjow new that it wouldn't mean a death sentence, he probably would have killed everyone in that room. Barbaric and uncivilized? Maybe. But Aizen was sure being a bastard about it. Waiting for the woman's response, Grimmjow folded his arms.

"It's alright, sir. They have been quite...amusing." she said, "I can handle them just fine on my own."

"Good, good." he said, "Kaname Tousen and Gin Ichimaru are around the complex. If you see them, they will introduce themselves, otherwise they will not interfere with you."

"Yes, sir."

"You are to follow their orders and mine at all times, and to the letter. If you ever give me a reason to doubt your defection, Inoue-san, I will not hesitate to end the lives of Kurosaki-kun and the others. Is that understood?"

"Yes, sir."

He sneered, "I hope you enjoy your stay here. Whether you do or not, this is your home now."

She felt like crying, but instead she gulped it down and nodded, "Yes...sir."

"Grimmjow." Aizen turned to the insolent man next to Orihime, "Take this lovely young lady to her room."

He sighed, "Yes sir."

* * *

Orihime found herself, once again, walking behind Grimmjow. When she thought about it, he had a face somewhat like Ichigo. Except for the large piece of bone that covered a good portion of his face, and that gave her the creeps. He had a strange feel about him, like he would turn around and pull out a sword on her at any time. 

They stopped in a hallway full of doors.

"Here we are."

Orihime gave him a weird look, "Where are we?"

"This is the residential block." he said.

"So which one in my room?"

Grimmjow turned his head to the side, "Does it matter?"

She frowned, and walked down the hallway, glancing at all the doors. Exasperation crossed his face,

"Just pick one."

Orihime glared at him, gripping one of the doorhandles, "It doesn't matter anyway."

"What is that supposed to mean?"

"Eventually Kurosaki-kun and the others will realize I'm gone, and they'll come for me." she said.

He snorted, folding his arms, "Keep hopin', woman."

"He's beaten you twice now."

"Yeah?! " Grimmjow turned to her, temper flaring, "Well, you can't take all that optimistic shit and swallow it! I'll be fucking stupid if I ever let that bastard Ichigo beat me-"

She was tired of his ranting, and he was irritating her to no end.

"Kurosaki-kun will never loose to someone like you!" she yelled, raising her voice, "And you know what?! You want to put it that way...I can do that too!"

He caulked an eyebrow at her, "Wha-"

"You're a insensitive, moronic, idiotic, jerk!" she screamed, grabbing the door handle, "And if you kill Kurosaki-kun, I'll make sure I'll kill you for him!"

She slammed the door in his face.

It was the third time today she had made his mouth drop open.

* * *

_My name is Ichigo Kurosaki. _

_I'm 22 years old, live in a condo, drive a Mercedes, and I have a million dollars. Mostly, I spend my days at the gym training in kick-boxing, karate, ju-jitsu, and tai chi. Afterwards, I jump on my private jet and have dinner in New York with a sexy, blond, supermodel who I am pretty certain I'll end up married too. I hire aids and secretaries to do all my work, and spend most of my time laying on a beach staring at the ocean..._

_Ha. I had you there for a second._

"Bloody hell!" Ichigo turned around to the class, "If you two don't be quiet I am going to come over there and quiet you myself!"

It really was not an usual threat for the class, it was often that Ichigo found himself threatening his class. Yeah, maybe they were all technically geniuses, with IQs that went off the charts, but that did not mean they still were not a pain in the ass. Turning to the two young students in question, they instantly quieted down and sat.

"Sorry!" both of them trumpeted obediently. _Yeah, as obedient as they were five seconds ago..._

_My name is Ichigo Kurosaki. I'm 22 years old, live in an apartment in Karakura three blocks away from the high school that I spent 4 years of my life slaving away at. I go and work out at the gym once a night, go to karate class once in a while to have my weekly match with Tatsuki, and spent my nights at home or at my 'other job'. _

_Oh...and did I mention I teach second-year advanced English?_

_Please don't laugh. I know it's pathetic enough._

Zangetsu stopped giving him crap about it. Sure, he was a teacher, whatever the hell that meant. He spent most of his day-shifts at the school haggling students, breaking up fights, and trying to keep his sanity. During nights, he would usually sleep 4-5 hours, and then go to the Soul Society for training and reports.

Go to the Soul Society?

Urahara Kisuke had invented a way to construct a porthole from one realm to the other. All Ichigo had to do was go to the Shouten store, pay a yen, and he was off on his journey. Personally, he thought having to pay a yen was a pain, but Urahara thought it was hilarious. Besides, he always said something about 'I run a business. Pay up or get out'.

"...In Europe, during the years of the Black Death, theater was scarcely used form of entertainment because people were too afraid of catching the disease from each other. It wasn't till after the Black Death era that people started back into the subject of Fine Arts and fine literature. During this time, the church of England put a heavy ban on many plays because they were deemed unfit for viewing. Whililam Shakespere preformed many of his plays at the Globe Theatre, and was often at odds with the church..."

Sometimes he hated listening to himself drawl on, he could not blame the kids for nodding off. With his back turned, they thought he could not see them falling asleep during the lecture. Then again, they did not know that their teacher was actually one of the most powerful Shinigami alive, and a Vizard to top that.

"...the queen of England however took a particular interest in theatre arts and entertainment-"

_SLAM!_

There were shrieks from a few girls, and some other students jumped as he slammed the hard copy of Shakespere's plays on the blackboard. Doing something unexpected once in a while kept people attentive and awake. He was glad his back was turned so they could not see him sneering at the board as he continued with the class. After 20 or so minutes, the bell rang. Giving the next assignment, getting slightly pissed off at the multitude of groans, he flopped in a chair as they filed out of his classroom.

HIS classroom.

It was like some sort of dark comedy. He hated school, and he ended up working there. Something about Dante's levels of hell came into Ichigo's mind.

"Hard night, Kurosaki?"

His old teacher smiled at him. She was not that old, maybe her forties, and more spry then he was. Ochi-sensei still taught the same homeroom class, the same math lessons, everything. Ichigo smiled tiredly at her,

"You could say that." he nodded.

"You going home tonight?"

"Well, I think I might head to the gym, and then go to my Dad's place for a while." he said, "There's a leak in the roof, and he needs a little help repairing it. Karin and Yuzu have school, so that means I get to volunteer."

"Get to?" she chuckled.

He nodded, she had understood his joke. There were a lot of teachers in the school that needed to be a little more flexible in life. Ochi-sensei was not one of those teachers. Other than her, there were four or five other teachers that he got along with. All the rest of them would greet him, chat with him for a while, and that was it. Although, generally, the faculty appreciated him when it came to breaking up fights. Having a black belt and a Shinigami on staff, they did not know about the Shinigami part, was a good advantage for both parties.

Speaking of fights...

There were noises in the hallway, and a young girl ran to the door, "Sensei! There's a fight down on the second floor!"

Ichigo let out a sigh and stood up. They should really pay him extra for this stuff. Picking up his things, he hoisted the black bag over his shoulder along with his black, waist-length jacket and strolled down the hallway. His office was on the way there.

Ichigo wore the same kind of clothes as all the other male teachers: white button-down shirt, tie, black pants, jacket. It was not really a hard thing to do, and as long as it fit the way he wanted it to, he did not really mind. He had a habit of sticking to his old shoes instead of buying black dress shoes like most of the other men, because they hurt like hell after standing for 6 or more hours. Sometimes he wished he could wear his Shinigami shoes while teaching, they were the only shoes to this date that had never made his feet sore.

Stopping in his office, he dumped the bag in his chair, and slipped the jacket on the hook on the back of the door. Taking the keys out of his pocket, he locked the door. The Hallow sensor was still clipped on his keys, but these days the Soul Society had other patrols around Karakura. It was the center of Espada-Arancar activity and there were always guards around. Once in a while he wave at one as they checked over the school, but generally left him alone. If there were any serious problems, they would contact him.

Last year, a Menos Grande appeared in the town square. After reeking havoc on most of the square, and they had contacted him during a English final. Ichigo was starting to get the feeling that they did not like contacting him because then it meant that they were not skilled enough to complete the tasks themselves. It was a good thing the final was almost over, and as the last student left, he grabbed his things, and had promptly reported to the town square to save all their butts just in time.

Having two jobs was tricky.

Shoving the keys in his pocket, a chain clipped to his waist, he put his hands in his pockets and walked down the stairs. The school principle was already waiting there, the coach Yamada-sensei who was already trying to subdue the group, and a large burly man that he recognized as Haruno-sensei, who taught advanced chemistry.

"Kurosaki...we waited till you got here to do anything." the principle looked at him. Fortunately for him, the principle was one of his biggest supporters. Ichigo worked hard, demanded hard work, and pulled good results from his students. For that some teachers hated him, some liked him, and the overall administration left him alone.

Ichigo dragged a hand through his orange hair, "Pretty soon I might start demanding hazard pay for this, sir."

The principle laughed at that thought as Ichigo took his hands out of his pockets, and strolled through the crowd.

Stepping into the middle of the fight, he reached out an arm and grabbed the collar of one boy, slamming him to the ground, and planting his size ten foot on his back. It would not hurt him, but it was strong enough to hold him to the floor. Leaving the first one for Yamada-sensei, he grabbed the second offender and pulled him to the ground as well.

Everyone watched as Ichigo subdued every single one. The last one gave him a little trouble, however, if you could call it that. Deciding that he could try his chances by turning his aggression on the spiky-haired teacher, Ichigo raised his fists and blocked the first punch, leaning to the side as one almost hit him in the face.

"Damn it..." Ichigo grabbed one of the kid's arms, and promptly flipped him over his shoulder to the floor, leaning close to the kid's face, he smirked, "...next time, raise the guard on your left, and work out a little before you decide to take a crack at fighting me."

Standing, Ichigo yawned and headed back to his office. God, his life was boring.

* * *

When the bell rang, he left. Of course he had a car, but driving the short distance to school was nutty. Walking was good exercise, and he could get reports for other Shinigami in the area. 

Walking past the river, he stopped.

That was the river that Inoue always liked to sit at.

He found his legs carrying himself to the river, and he stood still. It had rained a lot lately, so it was a little higher than normal. Setting down his things, he sat on the grass, and spread out his legs, leaning back on his arms. It was a warm, humid day. Summer break was quickly approaching, in which he would be returning to the Soul Society for while to get some backed-up work done, and to resume his training routine.

"You come here often?"

He shrugged, "When I'm thinking."

The tall, young man had surprised everyone by ending up much taller then he used to be. Toushirou Hitsugaya walked silently towards his comrade, and stood next to him.

"What are you doing here?"

"Work." he said. Running his hand through his white hair, he leaned slightly on one leg.

"How's everyone doing?"

"Everyone is alright. Zaraki still demands that you fight him."

"I don't fight crazies."

Hitsugaya smirked at that comment, "Rukia is still the stand-in vice-captain of Ukitake's group, Shunsui says he still owes you a drink, and Byakuya-san says that if you miss even one meeting during your summer break he's going to boot your ass back to the academy."

Ichigo chuckled, that sounded like him.

"What about Hinamori?" he asked.

Sometimes Ichigo knew better then to pry into people's lives, but he was curious. Every time her name was mentioned, the young captain would always drop a serious look in his eyes.

"She's well enough." he said, "She's doing well as the new captain."

Ichigo was not an idiot. Nor was anyone else that knew Hitsugaya. He was in love with Hinamori. But he never said anything. Hinamori was still fragile, and Hitsugaya figured that it would just hurt her even more then she had been. Ichigo could not help but feel sorry for then kid. Overall, he had a feeling that Hitsugaya's life was not any better then when he lived in the wilderness. He had just turned 100 last week, and spent his birthday in a trench during a battle with an army of Menos Grandes.

"When are you going to suck it up and just tell her?" Ichigo glared at him.

The young man was now glaring at the river, his fists tight at his sides.

"Because I care too much about her not too." Hitsugaya spoke as his cell rang, looking at the ID, he sighed, "The front on the western area of the Soul Society has been breached with another attack. Please excuse me."

"You're wasting your life away, Captain."

"Then I'll waste it." he said, "Take care, Kurosaki-sensei."

He was gone before Ichigo could open his mouth to respond.

* * *

Walking over the threshold of the porthole, his hands in his pockets, he headed towards headquarters. Before head reached the entrance of the complex, Renji Abrai whistled, 

"Nice threads, commander."

Hitsugaya shrugged, personally he preferred human world clothes. His uniform got a little boring after a while, and variety was a good thing. The black turtleneck, long-sleeve shirt and the blue jeans seemed to suit him well.

"Is everything ready?" he asked.

"Byakuya-san is waiting for you. I was just about to meet up with the gang." he said, "How's Kurosaki doing?"

"Lethargic as ever."

"Sounds like him. Well, see ya later." he disappeared in the crowd.

Wandering back to his building, Rangiku stood outside the office door.

"What's the status?"

"Byakuya sent word." she said, "I told him that we'd be there as soon as possible."

The blond woman was probably one of his best friends. They seemed to have a lot of the same anxieties, which was what helped their relationship some. Hitsugaya would never actually contemplate trying to be more then friends with her, she was older then he was, and he really could not bring himself to think of her in any other way other than a friend. Plus, she would always be in love with a certain ex-Shinigami captain, and Hitsugaya would always be in love with-

He dashed the thought from his mind.

"We should leave." he said, "Round up the squad, report to Captain Kuchiki's location."

"Aye, sir."

She walked past him, then stopped, "Captain?"

"Yes, Matsumoto?"

Rangiku thought a moment, "Never mind."

He nodded his head slightly as she left.

* * *

_I have no idea where this story it going, thus, I don't know when I'll update next. I'm starting to lay out the second chapter, but I'm not quite sure where to go with it yet. Depending on what people say with the first chapter will give me an idea what people think, so send a review please :D_

_Arigato_

_Lilith_


	2. Chapter 2

_Woo7! An update!_

_For some reason I couldn't get the dividing ruler to work so I had to use this little dotted line instead. It looks weird but it works. Hope you enjoy the chapter!_

_Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach_

* * *

His apartment was not the best apartment, but it suited him just fine. 

It was small, just like apartments in Karakura were, with a small kitchen, bedroom, and bathroom. There was a balcony attached to the living room that Ichigo generally used to get up to the roof. He was on the sixth, the top, floor. Frequently, he would take Zangetsu up to the roof and practice his katas on his own. Using Bankais was frowned on because it would mess up with the routine scouting missions in the area, so Ichigo did not practice with that unless he went to Urahara's.

Closing the door, he dropped his bag to the floor, taking off his jacket. Flopping on the floor of the living room, he stared at the ceiling, watching the blades of the fan. Where the hell was Kon? Probably sleeping somewhere. That lazy freeloader spent more time sleeping then being awake.

_**You seem rather disturbed today, your majesty.**_

"Damn it." Ichigo rubbed his hands over his face, "How many times have I told you to stop calling me that?"

_**You defeated me, it's what you get.**_

"Well, it sounds stupid."

He turned his head to the side, and glared at Zangetsu. The huge sword lay against the wall. He was well aware of zanpakutos and their ability to commune with their sword master. Ichigo soon learned that if he tried to lock the sword up, Zangetsu complained. If he did not talk back, the sword would tease him until Ichigo was about ready to stab himself. Zangetsu was loud and obnoxious.

_**Just like you, champ.**_

"God, now you're reading my mind again."

_**It's my job, sue me.**_

The apartment was always quiet enough for Ichigo to hear the sword loud in his head. He groaned, and sat up, stretching.

"Going to try your luck at Tatsuki-chan today?"

Ichigo made a face as the stuff bear hobbled up to him.

"Unfortunately." Ichigo sighed, standing up. The kitchen was calling him to make dinner. Food sounded really good at the moment.

"Just, man, she's going to beat the snot out of you."

"Shut up." Ichigo pulled a pan out of the cupboard and began moving about the kitchen, trying not to envision roasting Kon on the pan instead of the broccoli he started chopping.

Kon glared at his master a moment, and then folded his little arms, "It's been five years since they declared her official missing, Ichigo. You have to let go eventually."

There was a loud clang as the orange-haired man nearly dropped his knife. Ichigo frowned,

"I can't just forget her." he said, moving onto the green beans and rice.

"Inoue made her choice. There's nothing we could do about it."

"It just feels...wrong."

The orange-haired Shinigami added a few other things to the mix and stood stirring the stir fry. It cooked fast and that what Ichigo liked about it. Even though he would be spending some time at home, he had not eaten since eleven that morning and it was wise to eat something in between dinner. That, or suffer punishment from Yuzu when she would question him about eating enough.

Ichigo smiled in spite of himself. He faced armies of Menos, achieved a Bankai in a manner of hours, fought the most powerful adversaries alive, and spent most of his time going from one realm to the other...and the only person that he was really afraid of was his 17 year old sister.

_Mom, you'd laugh at that, wouldn't you?_

Sitting at the table, he found his eyes wondering over to the picture on the table, of his friends in their 2nd year when Rukia first arrived. Someone had snapped a shot of them having another lunch session on the roof. Everyone was so innocent back then.

Keigo owned a local bar not to far away, Ichigo went and visited him on the weekends. Once in a while, Yumichika and Ikkaku were in there. The three of them were a strange crowd, but they got along. Last time he had talked to Keigo, apparently Keigo's sister had a thing for Ikkaku, which Ichigo thought was funny. Keigo was not amused.

Mizurio came back during the summer and winter vacation. He was a high corporate execute in America. What amazed Ichigo even more was that last year Mizurio surprised everyone by getting married to his secretary, who also happened to be 3 years older. It did not bother Ichigo, his friend was happy so he was happy.

Taking a sip of tea, he leaned back on the chair and stared at the ceiling.

Chad had left Japan a little while ago to help out with distant relatives in Mexico. Once a year Ichigo went to visit him. Having learned enough Spanish to at least not embarrass himself, Ichigo did not mind at all. Chad had a good family, and they spoiled Ichigo beyond reason whenever he visited. Ichigo always considered that break a true vacation.

Ishida was somewhere in Hokkaido. Rumor had it he lived at a monastery, although he was not a monk. The whole situation was strange and Ichigo did not understand it. Ishida spent most of his time teaching Latin and other things at the complex, participating in archery competitions, and doing a whole array of other activities. He mailed a letter once in a while.

That was everyone. The only person that Ichigo had not seen at least three times in the past five years was Inoue. She was gone.

It reminded him somewhat of when Rukia had left for the Soul Society the first time around. She was no longer registered at the school. No one remembered her, no one acknowledged the mention of her name, nothing. It was the same with Inoue. The only people that remembered her were himself, the Soul Society, Chad, Keigo, Mizurio, Ishida, Tatsuki, and Karin.

Karin.

She had senses that were almost acute as his own. He remembered a conversation she had with him not to long ago. He had been standing alone on the roof at the Kurosaki Clinic, staring into space.

"_You spacing out over there, Ichi-nii?"_

_Karin climbed through her own window and walked over to him, leaning on the cement railing of the clinic roof. Ichigo sighed out loud._

"_What's the problem?"_

"_I messed up."_

"_What do you mean?"_

_Ichigo rest his head on the railing, "I messed up...big time."_

_Karin frowned, and brushed a piece of hair out of her face. It was a little longer now, long enough that she pulled it back into a ponytail._

"_Is this about Inoue-san?"_

_Ichigo snorted, "What?"_

"_Dude, bro, I'm young, not stupid." she said, "You got the hots for her or something?"_

"_Or something." Ichigo looked away. _

_Karin turned around, leaning her on arms. She could not sense her father or Yuzu listening in._

"_Is she dead?" she asked, "Was she-"_

"_She was kidnapped by the Arancars." Ichigo frowned, "She's gone. There's nothing I can do. I don't know if she's dead or alive, or worse-"_

_They stood in silence a moment._

"_She..." Ichigo looked at his hand, the one that had been healed the day she left, "...I don't know, I have an uneasy feeling. I can still feel her reiatsu in my head, and when I think about it...it's the saddest thing I've ever felt. It's like...I don't know..."_

_She sighed out loud, "If you're in love with her, Ichigo, you should just say so..."_

His musings where interrupted with a banging on the door. A loud banging.

"Open the damn door, Kurosaki!"

He winced, he knew that voice. Kon looked at him warily as he opened the door to his apartment. The stuffed bear had taken refuge on Ichigo's shoulder. Hansei Muruguma stared at him with an annoyed look on his face.

"What the hell you been doing'? Spacing out?"

"Huh?"

"I was knocking on the door for 10 minutes!"

"Oh." Ichigo sighed, "Sorry. I'm not exactly in a good mood right now."

Hansei let out an irritated snort, "I didn't come here for pleasantries, Kurosaki. Shinji sent me."

Ichigo gritted his teeth, that was not a good sign. Hirako only contacted him when it was important. Letting Hansei into his apartment, they sat in the kitchen.

"Wanna drink?"

"Hell ya." Hansei groaned, "Damn department is driving me into the ground."

"Still trying to figure out what's going on?" Ichigo set two glasses on the table and poured his Vizard comrade some sake.

Hansei was a detective for Karakura, a newly promoted one that is. Someone needed to have an inside to the law enforcement in hopes for keeping them out of trouble, but it was becoming harder as the war was coming closer to the human realm. He was worked to the bone.

"They're are getting more and more smart." he took a sip of sake, "I don't think I've slept in three days."

Ichigo nodded in understanding. If he was not at school, he was either at home watching he family, or at the Soul Society. No one in his family was strong enough to protect themselves if an Arancar attacked. Karin could sense them, and that was all. It was a constant worry on his shoulders.

"So, what does Hirako want?" Ichigo asked.

"He wants to talk to you. 7 pm tomorrow at the Eternal Realm. Hiyori said if you didn't come she beat your hide."

It was Ichigo's turn to snort indignantly. Technically, the headstrong young woman was his sensei. She reminded him a lot of Kukkaku. Of course, Ichigo did admire Hirako's tough-as-nails fiance, but part of him could not stand being in the same room with her.

"What is it about?"

"Can't say." he said.

"Can't say or won't?"

"Won't." Hansei replied, "Shinji says if I tell you, you won't see a reason to come."

"...bastard..." Ichigo murmured.

There was a ring, and Hansei picked up his cell, "Muruguma."

Kon leaned over from his perch on Ichigo's shoulder and in a hushed voice asked, "You gonna go?"

"Heck ya." Ichigo sipped the sake, "I don't really feel like getting whooped by that crazy bitch. She'd hunt me down."

"You think it's trouble?"

"Gotta be. Hirako wouldn't summon me unless it was important."

Muruguma snapped the phone shut, "We gotta go, Kurosaki. There's trouble."

"Trouble?"

"That was the dispatcher. There's a fight over at the dojo." he stood, "You're heading over there, right? Feel like getting out a little aggression?"

Ichigo chuckled, downed the rest of the sake and stood, "Sounds like a plan."

* * *

Tatsuki folded her arms, watching her students. Shouting a few commands off to the left, she gave a glare of irritation at the floor. Everyone was on edge, but she really did not know why. Part of her wanted to beat the daylights out of all of them, but that would be impractically. Plus, Kurosaki would be there soon, and he was a worthy cause for a fight. 

She was still furious with him. He knew it, and she knew it. But he was also like her brother. Tatsuki had know that hard-headed idiot longer than anyone, and because of this, she was able to somewhat forgive him. Part of her, however, would always hate him for what happened.

Orihime. He let them take Orihime and did nothing. Ichigo stood there and did nothing because the Soul Society ordered him not too. A society that he owed nothing too and had generally made his life harder. There was no excuse for that.

There were arguments off to the side.

"That was a cheap shot you son of a bitch! I'm going to beat the shit out of you!"

Tatsuki turned towards two of her students. Two of the biggest ones. Yamada and Hondei were arranging themselves like they were ready to pounce. They probably were twice her height and weight, but then again, she did not need weight and height to outdo them.

"Hey!" she snapped, "You two! Cut it out or get out!"

They looked at her in fury.

Yamada thrust a finger at the Hondei, "He punched me in the head! Without announcing it properly!"

"You insulted me you bastard! Of course I did!" Hondei glared.

Tatsuki folded her arms, "Okay, both of you, out. If you can't get along, I'm not wasting my time."

"This is all your fault, dumbass!" Hondei yelled.

"My fault!" Yamada yelled, "You're the one who punched me!"

They lunged towards each other. Tatsuki rushed forward, placing herself between them, holding her arms out,

"That's enough! Both of you out-"

She gasped, feeling a huge fist land square in her side. _Bastard...that was not smart-_

Recovering quickly, she wheeled around, and planted her size 7 foot into Yamada's chest. He stumbled backwards, and let out an enraged roar. Okay, maybe having a little more weight was a good thing...

They both rushed towards her. dodging both men, she flipped backwards, shouting at innocent students to clear out of the room. They obediently followed her request. Damn, she thought, the one day that the other masters had to be gone was the day that some thick-skulled idiots decided to get into trouble.

All she could do was dodge them. She was not tall enough and there was not enough room where she was to move about freely, and with the added pain in her chest she was certain one or two ribs were cracked.

Letting out a loud curse, she spun around only to be meet dead-on by a fist in the side of her face.

She stumbled backwards, trying to catch her balance. In the rush of things, she had not heard the sirens outside or the door whisk open. Falling into what felt like an immovable brick wall, a pair of strong hands grasp her shoulders.

"You okay there, miss?"

Tatsuki glanced up, and gasped. For a minute she thought it was Ichigo, but realized it was not. His eyes were obsidian, not golden brown. The entire room spun a moment, and he let out a curse. From what he could see, she looked trashed.

"Take care of her, Muruguma."

That voice she recognized.

"Ich...igo?" she murmured.

"Hey." he raised a hand, "I'll take care of this."

* * *

She was too dazed to watch. The other guy, Muruguma, pulled her out into the hallway. Sitting her in a chair, he produced a bottle of water in his hand, she took it. 

"I'm Detective Hansei Muruguma." he said, "We got a call that you were in trouble and I was in the neighborhood. You alright?"

She stared at him, and then nodded. Moving a little, she flinched. Damn, her ribs were more then cracked now...

"Ribs?" he asked.

"I took a couple hits." she said, "I'm faster then they are, but they weight twice as much as I do."

"There's an ambulance outside." he said, standing. He helped her to her feet and lead her outside. Now that she thought about it, there were crashes and yelling from the inside. After a few seconds, it was quiet. A smile crept across her face as the other officers ran in. Apparently, Muruguma was thinking the same thing.

"Damn Kurosaki, I told him to take it easy."

She sat on the edge of the ambulance as they treated her. Holding the edge of her shirt up, he let out a whistle. There were bruises all over her, and they looked back. The medic checked her ribs and wrapped them.

"I'll have to take the next two days off, but I should be okay." she said, "I've had worse injuries, trust me."

"Worse, huh?"

It was hard for him to think that anyone as pale and tiny as her was this sturdy. From what Kurosaki had said, she could clean Ichigo's clock. That said a lot.

"How do you know Ichigo?" she asked.

"Worked with him before." he put his hands in the pockets of his long black trench coat and shrugged, "You?"

"I've known him since he was 6." she said, "Childhood friends."

"Ah." he nodded.

Ichigo came strolling out of the dojo, whistling.

"Yo." he raised a hand, "What's up, Tatsuki?"

She shrugged, "Nuthin, you come for a fight?"

"Yeah, but I dealt with those idiots and there was a fight at school today. You're injured, so I think I'll throw in the towel for today."

"I could always fight you." Hansei smirked.

"Naw." Ichigo frowned, "I don't fight crazies."

"Shut up!"

Tatsuki laughed as Ichigo waved a hand at them, "I'm going to check on Dad. See ya later."

"Remember! 7 pm tomorrow!" Muruguma jabbed a finger in Ichigo's direction.

"Yeah, yeah, or I get my ass kicked. I know."

With that, Ichigo disappeared down the street. Tatsuki could sense the uneasiness in her friend's energy. Ichigo was never relaxed these days. It was like he was always ready for an attack.

"Need a lift?" Muruguma asked her.

"Yeah."

Following him to the jeep parked at the end of the parking lot, she eased into the car, and he shut the door. Moving her arms too much would be painful. He slid into the car, and revved the engine.

"Oh yeah..." she reached a hand forward, "...I forgot to introduce myself. I'm Tatsuki Arisawa."

He stared at her and shook her hand.

"It's a pleasure."

* * *

Ichigo took out his keys and opened the door to the Kurosaki Clinic. 

"Guys! I'm home!"

"ICHI-NII!" a girl's voice shrieked.

Yuzu hurled herself into her brother's arms. He chuckled, ruffling her hair,

"Hey-yo." he smiled, "What's cooking? Smells good."

"Sukiyaki." she beamed, "I knew you were coming home."

"Ah." he grinned, "You silly, you didn't have to go through all the trouble."

"You're darn right I do! You don't eat anything unless you come home!"

"Hey now." he shook his head, "I eat."

"Eating vegetable stir fry once a day is not eating!"

He laughed again and hoisted her into his arms to hug her. Then trailed down the hallway while Yuzu disappeared into the kitchen. Karin stood at the top of the stairs.

"How's it going, sis?" he asked.

"Not to bad." she clapped hands with him, "Kick any butts today?"

He sneered, "Enough."

Pushing the door open with his back, his father was in the storage room taking stock. They were getting ready to order more supplies.

"Hey Dad." Ichigo walked up to him.

"So, my disobedient son decides to visit his family once in a while, hm?"

"I'm busy, Dad." he shrugged, "I'm at the school most of the time."

"What about the evenings, huh? What? Got a hot date?"

Ichigo glowered at him, "None of your business."

His Dad roared with laughter and whacked him on the back, continuing down the line of shelves.

"Roofs leakin again, huh?" Ichigo said, "Where?"

"Over the west side." he said, "Roofing tiles just need replacing."

"Cool. I'll do it after dinner." he replied, hearing Yuzu calling them to eat.

* * *

As Ichigo left to go help set the table, Isshin Kurosaki frowned, setting the clipboard on the table. He sighed, rubbing his head. Whatever was heavy on the boy's heart was starting to bother him. 

After Misaki died, his had told himself he would never use his abilities except to take revenge on her killer, and then he would never again use them. He was well aware that the Hollow that had killed his wife, was after Ichigo. What surprised him, was that from what Ichigo had told him, it seemed like Misaki saw the Hallow too. It bugged him sometimes.

Truly, if there was anything he could have done to try and keep Ichigo from having the same life and job that he once had, he would have done it. Being a Shinigami was not graceful or elegant, it was back-breaking and a pain in the ass. Remembering the day a year or two ago when they went to the beach, and he saw the jagged scars on his son that could only have been made by a zanpakuto, only told him that whatever he was doing during the summer...it was not taking it easy, that's for sure.

Ichigo was a Shinigami. He had learned to live with that fact. From what Kisuke had said, the war was fast approaching, and going badly for the Soul Society. Soon, Ichigo would be fully drafted into the fight, and there would be no say in the matter.

Isshin looked at his hand in front of his face.

Was he going to allow the Soul Society to take Ichigo like that? He did not have a say in the matter either. But there was one thing that he did have a say in...

If the war came to his doorstep, he sure as hell was not going to stand aside and watch his family be butchered by Hollows and Arancars.

"Daddy! Dinner's ready!" Yuzu called.

"Coming!"

He was going to fight this time, and the Soul Society be damned.

* * *

_I swear there's going to be a plot soon. I'm just having a little too much fun writing this story and I needed something to do while there was a Bleach update this week. The next chapter will be better. _

_Well, thanks for reading. Send me an update and tell me what you think._

_Arigato_

_Lilith_


	3. Chapter 3

_I sort of sped-edited this chapter. I hope it's okay :P_

_Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach_

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She opened her eyes, and stretched. Yawning, she sat up slowly, and rubbed her head. The bed was comfortable, and the large, silk canopy that hung over it was a nice touch. There was a soft breeze blowing through the curtained windows, and it reminded her that she left the balcony doors open.

Everything was white and black.

At first it had made her uneasy, but now she did not mind. Sliding out of the covers, she padded across her room and headed for the large master bathroom. Pausing to look at herself in the large, full-length mirror, she sighed and disappeared in the bathroom.

The white villa was large. It was not as big as the ones that belong to the former Shinigami ex-captains, but it was a good size. A living room, bedroom, bathroom, kitchen...everything that she would need. New clothes were brought to her once in a while, and everything that she ever needed was provided for her. It was not that bad of a life, she knew, because she had more the most people generally did.

But she was never happy.

It had been five years since she had laughed. Part of her said that she should just give up and get used to living in the Arancar's world. However, there was always a little voice inside her that kept telling her to hang on for another day because people could be coming for her at any time.

"You're just fooling yourself, Orihime..." she murmured out loud to herself.

She knew that she was different because she felt different. Sometimes her own voice and thoughts scared her.

After she took a shower and dressed, she left the villa. Walking across the complex, she headed towards the main building. She was due for a breakfest appointment with Aizen. Las Noches was never a place she liked to go, it always gave her the creeps. As soon as she could get it over with, the better.

-------------------------------------------------------------------

"Missy!"

She turned her head as Rupee bounded towards her. Nodding her head slightly, he took her hand and kissed the top of it.

"You look as lovely as ever."

She could not help but smile slightly. It had taken them all a while to get used to her, but after healing their wounds and keeping track of them for so long, most of her Espada patients had warmed up to her. They were always cautious of her, but at least they stopped threatening to kill her. Most of the time anyway.

"Thank you." she said, "You seem in a good mood."

"Of course." he said, "Today is a new day. New battles, new victories..."

"Seems like you know your priorities." she nodded.

"Course. Food, fighting, women. It's not that hard. Maybe fighting a little more, or maybe...well, you get the idea."

She smiled, and nodded again.

"Well, you know, speaking of that subject..." he nudged her with an elbow, "...Grimmjaw has been all weepy and moopy since you got in that fight two days ago."

"Huh?"

"Don't look so surprised!" he beamed, "He's just too dumb to admit it."

_Oh no._

"Go talk to him at least." Rupee folded his arms, "I'm getting tired of him making mistakes for not having his mind on the task at hand."

"I wouldn't speak to that jerk if someone paid me." she said, glaring at him, "He can just go take a flying leap over the cliff for all I care."

She turned around towards the building.

"Come on, Inoue-san!" he said, calling to her, "Cut him some slack! He's just an idiot!"

"An idiot without manners!"

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He chuckled at that, watching her disappeer into Aizen-sama's part of the complex. Turning towards the training fields, he frowned. She was a hinderence around the city, a BIG hinderence. His thoughts wheeling back to Grimmjaw, he let out an irritated sigh. The bastard was too hung up on her. Sure, she was like a breath of fresh air, but she was also a reminder of how impure they all were.

Orihime healed them, generally kept management of the Healing Room, and most of the medical personal. Nothing happened without her knowing about it, and most people did what she said because she had a temper when she needed one. She was smart, beautiful, and kind. Generally, the Arancar ignored her. All was going alright around the base until last year...

He did not want to think about it. As many violent battles as he went through, nothing had ever shook him. EVER. Not until he remembered walking into the darkly lit room just to see...

Laughing grimly to himself, he cursed his own opinions. He was a little soft when it came to her. She had a way of sneaking into people's mind and changing their feelings. Many of the Arancar he knew would even dare to protect her if something should happen. The truth of everything was that they owed their lives to her many times over. Although they did not have ideals or honor whatsoever...personal pride was part of the matter.

"You're late." Ulquiorra snapped as Rupee stalked onto the training field.

"Shut it." he said, "It's you're job to escort her, fearless leader. What if something happened to her? Again? Aizen-sama would not be pleased."

"Inoue-san forbid me to assign her a bodygaurd. She said it was ridiculous." he replied, "I will not and do not have the patience to argue with her."

"What about Grimmjaw?"

Ulquiorra glared at him.

"Okay, okay...maybe it's not a good idea." Rupee sighed.

"What's not a good idea?"

The blond Espada glared at all of them, Yami approached from the left. Wyce was gone on some other training bit, so they would not need him for today. Grimmjaw scratched his head and yawned.

"Late night?" Rupee asked.

"Shut up, none of your buisness." Grimmjaw gritted his teeth.

"Oooh, touchy." he said, "Damn, Grimmjaw, if your so upset about Inoue just go suck it up and apologize-"

"I would not talk to that bitch if she was the last living organism in the fucking universe!" he roared, and stomped past them.

He ignored everyone's strange looks and marched off by himself. It was all her fault anyway for the way she was. There was no way he was going to apologize when she was the one that was always mooping around.

Mooping around because of Kurosaki.

Grimmjaw hated even thinking the name. He hated Ichigo Kurosaki, and not just because he was supposed to be the enemy...because he just loathed him.

_...Ichigo...Ichigo...why didn't you...save me..._

It was something he would never forget. Grimmjaw would never forget that night for the rest of his life. Although, he had a feeling that no one in the squad would forget that night two years ago even if they tried...and they had tried.

Stopping a moment, he stood outside the window to the large banquet hall. She was at her daily breakfest meeting with Aizen-sama.

"You're reports are efficient as always, Inoue-san." he said, "I am quite impressed. You make a wonderful doctor."

"Thank you, Aizen-sama."

"You take such wonderful care of the Arancar. They all have a high opinion of you."

"Thank you, sir."

He chuckled, "I heard that you had an argument with Grimmjaw the other day."

"It's nothing I can't handle." she said.

"How have you been feeling lately? Have the nightmares subsided?"

"Yes, sir." she lied.

"Good, good. Report to your duties, and make sure Gin checks in with you today. He was injured in his sparring match with Tousen the other day."

"Yes, sir."

Grimmjaw could almost feel the hate that seethed off her soul for Aizen Sousuke. She stood up, bowed, and left. He could not really blame her, it was Aizen-sama's fault that she was in the position that she was.

-------------------------------------------------------------------

He heard the door to the Las Noches palace close. Grimmjaw looked at the white sky, and frowned.

_Damn you, Kurosaki. Damn you for leaving her here, you bastard._

The big doors opened, and she caught sight of him. Making a face, she marched off.

"Hey!" he yelled, "Don't scoff at me like that!"

She did not say anything.

"What? You're ignoring me now? That's a goddamn blessing!" he said.

"When you have something intellgent to say, maybe I'll listen." she calmly replied, smiling back at him as if she was just greeting him warmly. Then, she proceeded towards the medical wing.

Grimmjaw gritted his teeth and let out a roar in frustration.

"Wow, that was great!" Rupee smiled, "She really told you off that time, Grimmjaw! You must have really pissed her off for her to actually talk back this time."

"Yeah." Yami frowned, "It's your fault anyway, why are you putting up such a damn fuss?"

"Since when did you dorks ever care about things like this?" Grimmjaw snapped.

"It's the way it goes." Rupee folded his arms, "So suck up your pride, man, and go apologize."

"It's not my fault!"

"God, you don't know anything about women, do you?" he shrugged, "You apologize even if it's NOT your fault."

"That's dumb." Grimmjaw frowned.

"That's life." Rupee smacked him on the back and shoved him along the path, "Now get out of here! You're cramping my style."

Grimmjaw shot him a deathly glare as he walked towards the building. He might as well get it over with, he did not want her to take it out on him next time he was wounded and ended up in her Healing Room.

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She stood in her office, going through the reports. They were due tommorrow, and there were only a handfull left to finish. Sitting at her desk, she spread them around and stared at them. Slowly alphabetizing them all, she stacking them again and slowly began scribbling the information on each.

Taking the newly finished report, she got up to walk across the room to set it into the cabinat.

She was not paying attention to the paper on the floor.

Orihime shrieked as she slipped, feeling her legs slip out from under her. She fell into something hard, feeling a pair of arms circle around her as she tumbled forward.

"Damn it..." he murmured, wincing slightly, "...you alright?"

Orihime looked up, and gasped. Grimmjaw had caught her, whacking his head on the filing cabinat as they went down. She lay with her face pressed against his chest, his long legs stretched around her. A few years ago she had found a way to regenerate limbs with her powers, since then, Grimmjaw had been gifted with two arms again. It was one of the reasons why he did not like her, because he owed her more then he was willing to admit.

She gritted her teeth, "Since when did you ever care about me?"

"Hey, hey..." he frowned, "...I just rescued you from splattering all over the floor, stupid! Maybe you could actually be a little less of a sulky bitch sometimes and thank-"

He flinched, _damn it..._he had hit his pretty hard. Reaching back, he touched the blood on the back of his head, and let out a vicious curse.

"See! Now I'm wounded!" he yelled, waving his hand in front of her, "What do you have to say about that, huh!"

Orihime sighed, he was right. It was not his fault and he was only trying to help.

"I'm sorry."

He stared at her wide-eyed. _She apologized?_

"Get up so I can take a look at that head of yours." she said, standing up. He let out another string of curses as he stood up, sitting on the chair in the corner as she retreated to the back for some supplies. Pressing a piece of gauze to the back of his head, she turned back to her things, "Hold this to your head till the bleeding stops."

He stared at her a moment, "Why do you help us if you hate everyone here?"

It was a question that shocked her. She never would have expected him to ask her something like that.

"Out of habit, I guess." she said, "I may be prisoner here, but that's not reason to let people suffer needlessly."

Maybe the fact that she was admitting that she hated everyone there hit him a little harder then he was willing to admit. Over the years, they had sparred in the training rooms as well as verbally, and even though he sometimes hated her with a flowing passion, he found himself growing too attached to her. Everyone else on the base started to recognize it, and had made a habit out of teasing him. _'Oh look! That's the guy that is in love with the human girl!' _ Whoever was the bastard that started that was going to get what was comming to him. Grimmjaw was starting to resent ever meeting this girl. Hell, sometimes he already did.

Sometimes, he wished that they had met under different circumstances. Maybe if they had, she would have feelings for him instead of Kurosaki-

_Woah, don't go there._

"Every time you heal anyone here, it could cause the death of someone you care about."

"I know." she whispered softly, "I know that very well."

"Then why do you do it-"

"Gezz!" she snapped, "What do you want me to say, Grimmjaw?"

He caulked his head to the side, ignoring her rising voice, "I'm just trying to figure out how that brain of yours works."

She smiled at him, shrugging, she turned back to her work. Over the years, she found herself being a lot more straight forward and willing to jump up. Before when she would have hid behind someone, now she was the one that was rising to the challenge. Grimmjaw and the others were certainly a challenge, but there was something about him that made her nervous. Maybe it was because he reminded of her Ichigo sometimes, which would always cause her to remember unhappy memories. It was not his fault, then again, it technically was...

Grimmjaw had a vendetta against Kurosaki-kun. That was something she never forgot. There was silence as she worked on the back of his head. It was this point that he realized that she was so close to him he could feel her warm breath on the side of his neck as she inspected the wound. He could see her face out of the corner of his eyes. There were dark circles under her eyes.

"Thanks, by the way." she murmured.

Grimmjaw frowned, looking at the floor.

"Don't thank me. You're the clutz."

She glared at him,

"What do you want from me, Grimmjaw?" she roared, "What is it that you always try to come in here and strike a conversation with me just to argue? You do plently of that with everyone else!"

"I'm trying to figure out what you want."

"You don't even know what YOU want!"

He gritted his teeth, "I know EXACTLY what I want."

"Oh!" she put her hands on her hips, "Well, then tell me what it is and leave me alone-"

She did not even see it comming. Maybe because she was beginning to get frustrated and loose her temper, maybe it was because she was upset, or had a headache comming on, or something...she could attribute it to many different things. But it was too late to feel the arm around her waist, and it was too late to catch herself as a hand lay gently on the back of her head.

He tilted her head to the side, and pressed his lips to hers.

_What..._

He kissed her, pulling her against his chest, kissing her like he was about to devoure her. Her hands pressed on his chest, trying desperatly to hang onto the little piece of sanity she had left. She could feel him open her mouth and taste her, savoring every little inch that he had access to. She was frozen where she was, and did not even move when she start to feel a hand slid under the collar of her kimono...

He wanted her. He did not care that she was in love with someone else, or that she hated him, or that she was a human. He wanted her anyway.

_What the hell am I doing?_

He pulled her away from him, his hands clamped tightly on her upper arms. Grimmjaw stared at her like he had seen a ghost. Looking up into her wide, brown eyes, he suddenly came upon the rare moment where he lost his confidence.

"Fuck." he let go of her. Standing up, he turned briskly and walked out of her office, "Fuck, damnit..."

Orihime stood there a moment, not moving from her spot. She could hear him marching loudly down the hallway. One of her arms moved, and she lay a hand over her mouth.

The knock on the doorframe scared the wits out of her.

"Orihime-san?" the blond ex-Shinigami gave her an odd look. Gin tilted his head to the side, an eyebrow half-cocked, "Is something wrong?"

She opened her mouth to speak, "No, nothing."

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Ichigo got out of his apartment that night all geared up to walk into the Eternal Realm and tell Hirako to take a long walk off a short cliff. Kon stood in the doorway, looking at him skeptically.

"Don't you think you should take Zangetsu?"

"I can summon him anytime. Plus, Eternal Realm is a big Shinigami hangout. I don't want it broadcasted any more around the Society of my dealings with the Vizards any more then it already is. It was too much of an effort to even convince Byakuya, Hitsugaya, and Ukitake-san to keep it silent." he slipped on his black gloves that had the fingertips cut off. He wore a leather jacket over his black jeans and black t-shirt, "Hold the fort, Kon. I'll be back eventually."

"I hope it's nothing too important."

"I hope so, too."

-------------------------------------------------------------------

"That little bastard better show up."

Shinji frowned, taking a drink of his alcohol. Seeing a figure walk over to him, a big smirk spread across his face.

"Ah, Hayori..." he looked up at her, "...did I ever tell you how sexy you look in that waitress uniform?"

She whacked him with a serving tray, "Can it, Shinji, I'm not in the mood. Besides, you know I'm not one for this mini-skirt crap. I'm just working her for the time being because I need a cover."

"You _need_ to wear less men's clothes and start dressing like a lady."

"Who says?" she said, "Women's clothes aren't exactly the most functional thing around."

"Maybe not." he sneered again, "Then again, as your fiance, I would rather appreciate it."

She whacked him again, "ARRANGED marriage, idiot."

Shinji made a face, rubbing his head, "That doesn't mean I can't enjoy it."

"If you think that for one moment-"

The door opened, and even though the bar was bustling with activity, there was a remarkable dim in noise as Ichigo Kurosaki strolled in. After a few seconds, the noise returned, but there were eyes trained on him. Scanning the room, he spotted Hayori and Hirako, and went to find out what it was that they wanted.

"Ah, Kurosaki." Shinji said, "Take a seat."

"I have a lot of work to do, Hirako, this better be good."

"Oh, trust me, it is." he said, "Sit."

Ichigo took a seat and Hayori went to go answer the call of another customer. Looking at Shinji, he crossed his arms.

"So, how goes the nice career of education?"

Ichigo shrugged, "It goes. I get summers off, which is good because I'm certain the Soul Society would boot my ass into the next world if I didn't finish my work during the summers."

"I see, quite right." he said, then he sighed, "I'll be honest with you, Kurosaki, I did not call you here for good news."

"I assumed not."

"Hachi has been monitoring Karakura since the Espada began making their appearences. He monitors the space realms every minute of the day." Shinji folded his hands, "There was something very disturbing that turned up."

"What?"

"The barrier between the human world and Hueco Mundo is beginning to crack."

Ichigo frowned, "What do you mean...crack?"

"Meaning, that in less then a month, Arancar and Hollow alike will be able to willingly travel between worlds without any hinderences." Shinji said.

The Shinigami sighed, suddenly feeling like there was another ton of wieght dropping on his shoulders, "Just what does that mean?"

Shinji was quiet a moment, thinking about his answer, he replied,

"Most likely when that happens, Karakura will be completely obliterated." he then said, "Within the year, the rest of the world will be completely overrun."

"What can we do to stop it?"

Scratching his head, Shinji frowned, "We will have to fight Aizen and figure out how to disable this power he retained from Rukia Kuchiki, and to figure that out..."

Ichigo frowned, "...we'll need to partner up with the Soul Society."

-------------------------------------------------------------------

_Because college is starting soon, I probably won't update again till September. Just so everyone knows. If i do update, it's only because I had a little extra time and was bored._

_I have a feeling that some people are like 'what the hell' after reading this chapter. TRUST ME. I know exactly what I'm doing, so hang in there :P Send me a review and tell me what you think so far._

_Arigato _

_Lilith  
_


	4. Chapter 4

_I'm not really sure where I'm going with this story, this chapter is sort of something I wrote when I didn't have anything to do. I hope everyone likes it :D_

_Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach_

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Partner up with the Soul Soceity.

Ichigo had a headache, and he was pretty sure he knew where it came from.

Murmuring a few choice words, he returned to his apartment, and flopped on the couch. Glancing over at Zangetsu in the corner, he let out a long sigh. Ever since he became a Shinigami, there were times he regreted it and times where he thanked the gods for it.

This was not one of those times.

Leaning his head back, it rest on the top of the couch. He heard Kon hop out of the doorway to the bedroom and settle on the end of the couch.

"You look tanked."

Ichigo nodded.

"What did they say?"

"I have to set up a meeting, between the Vaizards and the Shinigami."

"Well...damn."

"Yeah."

Ichigo lay his hands over his face.

"I can't believe Hirako is that desperate, the Vaizards can't stand the Soul Society." Ichigo replied, "It just so happeneds that I get to be the go between."

"Great."

"Yeah, _great_."

Glancing over at the clock, it was 1am. He left Kon on the couch, and walked into the bedroom. There was a decent sized bed, with a couple large pillows and a dark green quilt on the top. Flopping on it, he let out a sigh and closed his eyes. He would sleep for three or four hours before reporting to the Soul Society.

He closed his eyes.

------------------------------------------------------

Aizen sat in the chair, looking calmly at the man on his right hand side. Gin was not sporting his normal smile.

"Is something bothering you, Gin?"

The ex-captain shook his head, "Nothing, just a feeling."

"Feeling?" Tousen murmured from the window that he was staring out of.

Smiling, Aizen leaned back in the chair, "We are close to our goals, gentlemen. The sheild between the mortal world and Hueco Mundo is cracking."

"Why don't we send some Hollow through to test the strength of the sheild?" Tousen replied, "No need to risk the strong soliders."

"That's agreeable." Aizen nodded, "Send thirty. We have more then enough of the lower ranks to spare it." he smiled, "Let's sit back and enjoy ourselves."

------------------------------------------------------

Tatsuki stood in the grocery store, looking over the teas. As she was reaching for one, a long arm stretched around her, plucked a box of green tea with gensing, and handed it to her. Turning around, she smiled slightly,

"Detective Muruguma." she said.

"This tea is my favorite." he said, "It calms the nerves."

"Thanks." she said, "What are you doing here?"

"Picking up more coffee." he said, raising a bag of roasted coffee beans, "I grind them myself. They taste better."

"Really."

"Say-" he looked around, "-would you like a ride home?"

Tatsuki stared at him, and smiled, "Sure."

Waiting in line, she pulled a few bills out of her purse to pay for the groceries. Next to her, she noticed that Muruguma had gone stiff. She frowned, noticing there was a strange feeling on the edge of her own senses.

"Detective?" she looked at him, "Is something wrong?"

Hansei's senses scanned the area. He could sense the Hollows. There had to be ten...no, twenty of them...

"Detective Muruguma?" Tatsuki stared at him, "Are you alright?"

There was a crash, and they heard the screaming from down the street. She gasped, looking towards the window.

"What's that-"

"GET DOWN!" he roared, dragging her to the ground as the windows of the grocery store shattered around them.

------------------------------------------------------

Ichigo sat up with a start. Running to the open window, he stared out at the cold night sky.

_Hollows._

"Shit!" he cursed, running towards the door.

The sheild was already beginning to break down. It looked like he would be going another night without sleep. Flinging himself out of bed, he gripped the rough hilt of the Zangetsu and through himself out of the window. Barreling into the first Hollow he saw, he sliced it down the middle.

Swiping the sword once through the air, he took off down the street.

------------------------------------------------------

She coughed, moving slightly and found it difficult.

"Quiet." Hansei whispered, clamping his hand over her mouth.

In the darkness of night behind him, she watched a large, greyish monster slink down the mainstreet. Her eyes grew wide as it disappeared.

"What the hell is that?" she whispered.

"Hollow." he said, "They're everywhere."

"What the hell is a Hollow?

Muruguma ignored her question. He rolled off of her, brushing the shattered glass from his arms, "We need to get out of here."

"How?"

Hansei frowned, and then pulled back his jacket. There was a strange knife strapped to his upper thigh. Unstrapping it, he flipped it once in his hand. Tatsuki watched it glow, and in a burst of light it grew into a regular size katana.

"Woah."

"Come on and stick close." he said.

She could sense them, hear them, and see the Hollows. Hansei weighed his options, and found the best way to get out of the situation was to forget the secrets. Now Tatsuki knew he was some sort of strange man with a magic sword and could fire energy balls from his hands. _So what?_

He would have hell to pay from Hiyori later.

There was a scream towards the left. Turning, he spied a Hollow disappearing down the next street. Tatsuki already had torn herself from his side and was racing to help the woman.

"Arisawa!" he called, "Wait, damn it!"

Hansei watched as she flung herself towards the Hollow, planting her foot in the middle of it's forehead. Falling over, she landed next to it, cracking her knuckles. She grabbed the end of her long skirt and ripped a slit in one side, then smirked at him, and rushed towards the first Hollow. It suddenly dawned on him...

She could hear them, touch them, and see them.

_Tatsuki Arisawa had spirit powers._

She flipped upwards, planting her foot into the forehead of the nearest Hollow. It screamed and fell backwards. Stumbling backwards as she landed, she raised her hands to be ready to defend herself. It rose again, raising a large arm to attack her. Tatsuki let out a shriek as a huge ball of energy sailed past her and blasted the monster into a cloud of smoke.

Turning around, Hansei smirked at her, blowing the slight puff of smoke that rose from the tip of his finger. She folded her arms, leaning slightly on one leg,

"No fair." she pouted.

"It takes years of practice." he shrugged, "What the hell do you think you're doing? You can't just...run up to a Hollow and kick it!"

"Why not?"

Muruguma opened his mouth to say something, and shut it. Sighing loudly, he gripped her upper arm.

"Come on. We gotta find Kurosaki."

------------------------------------------------------

Orihime stood on the balcony of her bedroom, staring at the landscape.

Another scream echoed through her head.

"Stop it!" she shrieked, laying her hands on the side of her head.

They would not stop, no matter how hard she tried to shut them out. She heard the cries of those dying, of those who needed help, and of the newly born Hollows that would emerge in the wasteland that surrounded Hueco Mundo.

"Rather expressive today, are we not?"

She turned to see Gin standing on the neighboring balcony, about 10 feet away. He caulked his head at her, and then turned back to gazing at the horizon. Orihime frowned, looking away.

"The nightmares have not subsided, have they?" he replied, "Aizen-san would be rather...put-out if you keep lying to him like this."

"It's none of Aizen's damn buisness." she murmured, "I don't care if that gets me killed or not."

"There's a difference between not knowing your place and being in a bad mood, Inoue-dono."

He hit the nail right on the head, she though. Folding her arms, she shivered even though the wind that blew outside was warm.

"Last year-"

"I don't want to talk about last year." she said, "I don't want to even think about what happened back then."

"It wasn't your fault." he said, "And the Arancar that took you-"

"Do you ever miss Rangiku, Ichimaru-sama?" she asked.

Gin suddenly looked grim, staring into space. For some reason, he found staring into the tundra of Huenco Mundo as interesting as she did.

"Every day."

"That's what I've felt ever since I came here." she said, "Except, at least you have two other people to relate to. I wasn't even a shinigami."

"Inoue-"

"I've been all alone here for the past five years." she whispered, "There's nothing that anyone can say that will make up for that. At least I have my dreams to keep me company, even if they are bad ones."

She turned towards her room, and shut the door. Standing in the middle of her room, she could still remember what happened last year. It was something in her mind that she would never forget.

_Let me go!_

_Please I beg you..._

_...why...didn't you save me...Ichigo..._

She laid her hands on her face, running her hands through her hair. Not being able to stand being there any longer, she pulled a shawl around her shoulders and left her room. Running down the hallway, she felt like she was going to faint. The white halls, the bad dreams...they were suffecating her.

Turning the corner, she slammed into someone.

"Fuck, damn it! Watch where the hell you're-"

Grimmjaw stared down at her. He had been on his way back from the training hall. Grabbing the shoulders of the person that had just nearly bowled him over, he stared down into Orihime's face. She was looking at him as if he was about to eat her.

"What?" he raised an eyebrow, "What's wrong with you?"

Her face was dead pale, and part of her hair had come undone from the bun on her head. She looked as if she was scared out of her wits.

"What?" he demanded, "What's wrong? What the hell is-"

A tear trailed down her cheek, and she tore out of his grip.

"What-"

"Don't touch me!" she shrieked, "I've had it with this place! With you, and everyone...every-"

He rushed foreward as she fell into his arms.

"Hey!" Grimmjaw shook her, "Hey, wake up!"

"What in god's name is going on out here?" Rupee roared as he opened the door to his quarters, which happened to be not to far away, "What happened to-"

"Call the med team."

"Grimmjaw, what did you-"

"Call the fucking med team!"

------------------------------------------------------

Aizen sat in the war room, staring at the leaders of his armies, Gin Ichimaru, and Kaname Tousen. Looking at the large map that consisted of the Seireitei and Rukongai in front of him, he was thinking to himself.

"Sir, if I may make a suggestion?"

Tszuria was the only female Espada on the team. She was skilled, intellegent, and deadly. Her massive blade leaned against the chair, there were red blood stains still on the edge.

"You may." Aizen replied.

"If we begin attacking where they least expect it, sir, then we will take them by surprise."

"Meaning?"

"Begin the assult at Rukongai." she said, "Attack from the south, where the main river resides. The gaurds are few and the Soul Society will have a harder time retailiating because we have on advantage over them."

"You mean they give a damn about the civilians and we do not?" Ulquiorra voiced.

"Exactly."

Aizen thought a moment, and then glanced around the room.

"I want a quarter of the forces moved to that location." he said, "Gin? I believe that you will be more then capable of leading this little expedition, hm?"

"Of course."

"Then it is settled." he said, "Assemble units 1-240 with you. Do not stop until you have breached the walls of the Seireitei. I know that you can overpower any of the captains, Gin, but avoid a battle with Commander Yamato."

"Yes sir." he stopped, "And what if I encounter Kurosaki?"

Aizen smirked a moment, "You need not worry about him. He's not important."

"Of course sir."

------------------------------------------------------

Ichigo sliced threw the band of Hollows. He had to get home, he just had too. His family was standing unprotected and out in the open. Just as they were all those years ago when he first became a Shinigami.

He had to get there on time. There was no other option.

------------------------------------------------------

Karin sat up with a start, staring at the wall, trying to catch her breath.

_What kind of a dream was that?_

"Karin?" Yuzu yawned, "What's wrong?"

"Noth-"

Karin jumped, hearing the cry of the Hollow out of the opened window. She was not sure if Yuzu heard it, but she had heard it loud and clear.

"Karin?"

The tall girl slid out of the covers, walking towards the window. Watching out the window, her eyes slowly grew wide as she watched the large, grey monster walking down the streets towards their house. It was comming for her, sensing her spirit powers from miles away.

"Get up, Yuzu." she said, "Hurry! We have to get out of here, now!"

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_The next chapter will be up as soon as I can get it finished and edited. Send a review and tell me what you think!_

_Arigato _

_Lilith_


	5. Chapter 5

_It's 3:15am. This is about as much editing I'm going to do. I know there may be mistakes somewhere, so I apologize but I'm exhausted...sleep..._

_---I just wanted to mention something before I got any strange reviews. This is a Orihime x Ichigo story. The overall story is going to be 20+ chapters, so if it hasn't started to build up yet, it's just because I working up to some REALLY GOOD chapters, so trust me.---_

_I hope you enjoy the chapter:D_

_Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach_

* * *

"Karin!" Yuzu demanded as Karin grabbed her hand and dragged her down the stairs, "Karin! Let go!" 

"There's something out there, Yuzu." Karin said, "We have to-"

There was a crash, and Karin froze. Leaning against the wall, she moved to peak around the side of the corner.

"Karin?"

"Yuzu, quiet."

She peaked around the corner as the hollow roamed around outside the glass doors. There was another crash as it's tail whipped through the air and shattered the doors. Karin frowned, feeling Yuzu's grip tighten on her arm, _where was Dad? _

The hollow stopped, and turned it's head towards them. Karin gasped and ducked behind the corner.

It could sense her spirit energy.

Yuzu shrieked as the hollow crashed through the glass doors. Grabbing her younger sister's wrist, Karin ran towards the back door. Before she could reach the doorknob, something grabbed onto her ankle, and yanked her to the floor. Yuzu called out to her, grabbing the doorknob and Karin's hand. The hollow gripped her ankle, slowly pulling her down the hallway.

She was not quite sure what happened next. There was a cry of a hollow, and the grip on her ankle went slack. Falling to the floor she turned around as Yuzu sunk to her side.

"You girls okay?"

Karin stared in shock at the figure in the Shinigami uniform. Pulling his sword back, the hollow vaporized into thin air. He turned around and smiled at them.

"Daddy?" Yuzu's eyes were so wide that Karin thought they would fall out of her head, "What are you _wearing_?"

"It's a good thing I got back in time." Isshin Kurosaki helped her up, "You okay, Karin?"

Karin recognized the uniform. She smiled, "Yeah, dad. I'm fine."

He nodded, "Come on, follow me."

* * *

The door opened and shut. Grimmjaw starred at the short Arancar woman named Tak. Tak was the assistent to Orihime, and probably the only friend she had in Hueco Mundo. 

"How is she?" Rupee asked.

Tak stared at the small group outside the door. She sighed,

"She's sick. Exhausted, sick, and mentally drained. I'm not really used to dealing with human physiology, but I would say that she's been overworking herself, that or she's had one too many shocks and it finally caught up with her. I'll keep a close eye on her, but for the next couple of days, she's not moving. I would advise a guard posted outside her door though."

"I'll see that it's done." Ulquiorra replied, turning down the hallway.

Grimmjaw stood there as people began to dispearce down the hallway. Before he went to leave, Tak called him.

"Grimmjaw-sama." she said, "Did something happen?"

"It's none of your business."

She sighed again, "I think you should go see her."

"Why the hell would I do that?"

Shaking her head, "It's just a thought." she head down the hallway back towards the Healing Center.

Grimmjaw stared at the door to Orihime's villa. Making a face he reached towards the door and opened it.

He had only been in her villa once before this, when it was first built. Now it was decorated with furniture, rugs, and other things that had not been there before. There were plants resembling the quartz plants growing outside in the tundra.

Her room was huge. Leaving the french doors open as he strolled in, he sat in the chair next to her bedside. She looked fragile and vulnerable as she slept in the silk canopy bed.

"What the hell are you doing here?"

Grimmjaw frowned, staring at the black creature sitting on the pillow next to his mistress. Tsubaki made a face, and turned back to Orihime.

"What 'sit to you?"

"I'm curious that's all." Tsubaki leaned back against the pillow.

Grimmjaw snorted, "What the hell are you? Some kind of fly?"

"I'm her keeper."

Grimmjaw laughed.

"Don't laugh so loud. If you wake her up I'll kick your ass." Tsubaki said, "Actually, I should just do it anyway for kissing her."

The Espada made a face and sunk into the chair. That was not one of his crowning moments. Still, he really did not regret it. Grimmjaw always made a philosophy of doing things because he wanted to so he would never have to regret anything, and kissing Orihime Inoue was not one of them. It had not been a good idea, but it was not a regret.

Tsubaki caulked an eyebrow at him, "Why did you do it? You guys don't even like each other."

"Cause I wanted to."

The black gaurdian snorted, and turned as he heard a small noise from the sleeping girl next to him. With a flash, he was gone. Grimmjaw had a feeling that Tsubaki cared about Orihime more then he wanted her to know.

She opened her eyes and stared at him.

"What are you doing in my room?" she murmured.

"Well, I can see how thankful you are." he said sarcastically, "- and you're welcome for the fact that I saved your ass in the hallway."

"Go away." she rolled over, facing away from him, "I don't have the strength to deal with you right now."

He stared at her back.

"What's wrong?"

She pressed her face into the pillow, "You don't care."

He did not want to admit it, but he did.

"Just tell me."

"Or what?"

"What nothin, just tell me."

She rolled over again to look at him. There were times that he beared such a resemblence to Ichigo Kurosaki that it scary. Grimmjaw made the same faces, carried himself the same way...but she could not set aside the fact that he was a psychotic maniac.

"I want to go home."

"This is your home." he said, "You live here."

"You don't understand!" she sat up, "You don't understand what it's like-"

It was like his hand was moving on it's own. She froze as it stopped in front of her face, and then very slowly, came to rest on her cheek.

"You've been here for five years. Even if you hate everyone here...you live here." he said.

Orihime hung her head slightly, "I don't hate everyone."

"Sure you do." he said, "And you're still in love with Kurosaki, and that's why if I sit here and tell you that I want you, you're going to get all confused and flustered, and then blow a gasket on me later."

She was gapping at him now.

"Don't worry, Orihime." he leaned towards her, "I make it my business to know my enemies. He'll come for you..." She felt him lean foreward and kiss her. It was not like the kiss he gave her office room. He gently eased his lips over hers, tilting his head slightly. As he pulled his lips away, he stared into her eyes, "...and when he does, I'll be fighting for more then just Aizen-sama's victory."

There was a loud banging at the door, and Tak rushed in barely giving Grimmjaw enough time to phase through the room to the balcony.

"We have a massive amount wounded comming in!" Tak looked at her commrade, "I'm sorry, Orihime-dono, but we're bogged down and-"

"I'm comming." she eased herself from bed.

Grimmjaw heard the door shut, and let out a sigh.

He was an idiot. A fucking idiot.

* * *

Ichigo ran through the city, feeling his senses sweep the area. He could feel an increase in reiatsu in the area. Feeling the familiar sense, he found the lifeline of a Menos Grande. As he neared the center of the city, people ran in fright as buildings began to collapse. Though they could not see the monsters around them, or sense them, or hear them...it was clear something was terribly wrong. 

Ichigo slashed through another Hollow, and was too distracted to notice a black streak that shot past him and slammed into the Hollow behind him. Tatsuki landed next to him, followed by a trenchcoat-clad Muruguma, who thrust his sword into the skull of the spirit monster. He landed behind her as the Hollow vaporized. Ichigo chuckled,

"Well, well...don't the two of you make a hell of team."

"Shut it, Kurosaki." Hansei said, "There isn't time. A Menos-"

"Yeah, I know." Ichigo said, "I'm going to go check it out."

"I don't sense any hollows in their direction." Muruguma said, "You can't face a Menos on your own, even with your power."

"What the hell is a Menos?" Tatsuki folded her arms.

"A really ridiculously powerful hollow." Ichigo told her, "I'll be able to scare it off. I have before."

"Because Ishida was here. His Quincy powers-"

"We can't rely on that." Ichigo interrupted him, "That dumbass isn't here, so no use cryin' over it."

The other two were silent a moment. Ichigo sighed loudly, patting his hands on his face,

"I'd better get to work. Go see if anyone else needs help." he said, leaping off onto the rooftops.

"He sure has a stick up his ass." Hansei said, "What's his beef with Ishida?"

"Long story." Tatsuki said, gripping his arm and pulling him in the direction of another hollow, "I'll tell you after we get the chaos figured out."

* * *

Urahara made no effort to really get up. There were wards protecting the store, and he had a sense that the person he expected to show up at his doorstep would show up. 

And so...he did.

"Urahara-taicho." a familiar voice chuckled, "One would expect you to at least show a little more then apathy. The world is going to hell in a handbasket and your in here sipping tea."

"I was waiting for you, Kurosaki." Urahara turned and looked at Isshin, smiling at the man's daughters, "Karin-chan, Yuzu-chan...it's good to see you two are alright."

"Alright?" Karin roared, "There are hollows invading Karakura!"

Urahara chuckled, waving off the outburst, "I'll watch them, Isshin. You're foolish son deicided that it would be worth his while to go chasing after a Menos Grande by himself."

Isshin made a face, "I suppose I'll be the one to bail him out this time. He'll find out about my little secrets eventually, hm? Well, like Masaki used to tell me, no time like the present."

"Wise woman, that Masaki-san." Urahara nodded.

Isshin chuckled, patting Yuzu's head, he disappeared out the front door. Karin waited a few seconds, and then turned to Urahara.

"I want you to tell me everything." she said.

Urahara regarded her for a second. Karin Kurosaki would make a perfect Shinigami. She was dedicated, strong-willed, and had uncanny spirit abilities.

He shrugged, "Okay."

* * *

Ichigo ran through the crowd, watching the sky shatter like a broken mirror. It had been so long since he had faced a Menos Grande. Staying in the relative saftey of the humon world had kept him from that. He had no desire to get caught up in the wars of the Soul Society, but this did not mean that he was not prepared. As much as he gained experienced from fighting, he always got a chill when he heard the cry of a Menos Grande. 

Holding Zangetsu in his fist, he stuck the sword out in front of him. With a roar, pulling his own reiatsu from the inner depths of his soul, he transformed Zangetsu into it's Bankai form. He was used to carrying around the huge sword, but against an enemy like the one he was facing a smaller sword was much easier to weild.

Ichigo gripped the sword, ready to fight as the gigantic hollow emerged.

* * *

Renji sat in the office, staring at the stacks of papers neatly placed in a circle around him, and piled on his desk. He had an odd habit of placing books and files on the floor in a circle around him while he was working to keep the desktop organized. If he needed something, he could just turn around and get it. With the amount of work he had, he really should have been working, but he was not. 

He had a more pressing problem on his mind.

Glancing out of the window, he made a face.

Rukia walked in front of the building across the walkway, she was standing right in his field of view. But even though she was the main focus of his thoughts, it was not her that bothered him it was the black-robed man standing next to her. He was a man that looked like he was about Rukia's age, with short dark hair, and a generally pleasent look to him. Under normal circumstances, Renji would have thought that guy was pretty nice, but these were _not_ normal circumstances.

Rukia nodded to the tall man, he smiled, and waved as she headed back down the street. Marou..._what's-his-face_? Renji could not remember the man's name to save his life. Not that he cared much, he hated him just the same.

The conversation that occured two nights ago played through his mind over and over. He could not forget it no matter how much work he had, or how many raids he went on. In fact, it was probably the one thing keeping him alert, other then the whirlwind of thoughts and emotions that had suddenly begun to invade his mind.

* * *

_Renji sat in his quarters, taking a sip of sake, and looking back over the town of Seireitei. _

_His room was not messy. In his training, he had learned that piling things in the corners cluttered his thoughts as well as his room, though he had a habit of leaving the futon rolled out on the floor. When he was too tired from work, he would collapse into it without having to worry about pulling everything out. There was a banner hanging on the wall from his squad, as well as one from Zaraki's squad hanging in his room. _

_Once a member of Zaraki's squad, always a member. It was something Yachiru had made clear to him. Zaraki was among one of the most selective captains in the Gotei 13, he only accepted those with a certain will and temperment. In the corner of his room was a desk. Papers were stacked neatly in a circle around it, a single sheet of paper and a bottle of ink sat on the desktop. The character 'Perserverence' was curled neatly on the paper._

_He was a street urchin from one of the most desolate places in Rokoungai, was one of the most powerful Shinigami alive, and could paint pretty letters._

_So what?_

_Renji took another sip, letting his arm rest on his slightly bent knee. He was dressed for bed, but for some reason something was making him restless. His braided red hair lay over his shoulder. He contemplated cutting it once. _

_Once._

_There was a knock on the door. _

_"It's open." he said. Loud enough for the person at the door to hear, but quiet enough not to wake the neighbors. Although, he already knew who was at the door, and that visitor probably knew that he was awake. Byakuya shut the door softly and sat on the floor, starring at his Vice-Captain. _

_"Kuchiki-taicho." Renji glanced at him. Raising a bottle, "Would you like some sake? I'm not usually a drinker on nights like this since I left Zaraki-taicho's squad, but...I felt like it tonight."_

_Byakuya stared at him, and nodded, "Alright."_

_"So tell me." Renji poured him a cup, "What did I do to deserve the honor of a night visit from one of the four house nobles?"_

_Renji was oddly observant for someone who wasn't of noble origins and spent most of his childhood stealing and running in dirty streets. Then again, Byakuya figured that was probably why he was so observant. He noticed things that seasoned, high-title Shinigami officals did not. At first, Byakuya did not really know why he had picked Renji Abarai as his vice-captain. Zaraki had warned him about Renji's firey temperment and his propensity to speak out of turn, but he was reliable. Reliability was something that Byakuya wanted. Knowing that he spoke out told him that if something was wrong, Renji wouldn't be afraid to shoot off his mouth saying so._

_It also told him that Renji had an honest soul. That was a rare thing in any part of any plane of existence. Renji was also observent to know when Byakuya was addressing him as a noble, or as a captain._

_"The Kuchiki Clan will be holding a meeting tommorrow."_

_Renji raised his eyebrows in the air, "No offense sir, but why should I care?"_

_"The Kuchiki Clan is entering into an allience with one of the other noble families." Byakuya said, "One of the members of the Kuchiki Clan will be married off to the other family."_

_"Zat' so?" Renji took another sip. Why was Byakuya telling him this?_

_"Renji..." Byakuya looked at his vice-captain straight in the eyes, "...most likely Rukia will be the one picked."_

_Renji felt his heart stop, "W-What?"_

_"It's very likely that Rukia will be chosen to be the one married off to the other clan."_

_"But...no!" Renji set the cup down viciously, "That's damn stupid! Forcing her-"_

_"There's nothing I can do. I have already done everything in my power."_

_Renji looked away, "Then why are you here? To rub it in my face?"_

_"Renji, I am not a fool, I know you're in love with Rukia."_

_Renji fell silent. That was not exactly the comment that he was expecting to get from Byakuya. His cheeks tinted slightly as his fingers tightened around the sake cup in his hand._

_"I...I-"_

_"I've been married, Renji." Byakuya took a drink himself, "I understand what it's like to-"_

_"No, you don't." Renji snapped, "What the hell do you want? Why did you come here and tell me this?"_

_Byakuya stared at him a moment and then said, "Because I know that if Hisana was alive now...she would have approved of you. And to be honest...I would rather marry Rukia off to someone like you instead of an idiot I do not trust."_

_Renji gapped at him. Byakuya set down the cup on the floor, "I just thought you would like to know."_

_With that comment, he left.

* * *

_

To make a short story even shorter, Rukia was the one picked.

What the hell was he supposed to do about it now? Renji ran the conversation over and over in his head, wondering if there was something Kuchiki-taicho had been trying to hint at by telling him about Rukia's sudden social status of 'fiance'. Finding that it only infuriated him further, he loudly slammed his fist into the desk, rubbing his other hand over his face.

"You look like someone just rained on your parade, Abarai."

Ikkaku stood in the doorway, his arms crossed. Renji frowned, and let out a curse when he saw that he had just snapped the pen in his hand _again_.

"I suppose you could say that."

The bald man made a face, "Zaraki-taicho says that he wants a word with you when the meet is over."

"Meet?"

Ikkaku smirked, "The Soul Society sent me to come fetch you. Apparently, their sending you on some Class S rated mission. Something to do with Aizen's army."

Renji stared out the window once more. Now he was alone. Everyone he ever knew or loved was...gone. What did it matter if he threw himself into some suicide mission and got killed?

Renji sighed, and heaved himself to his feet, "Alright, I'm comming."

* * *

_Now it's 3:23am. Yay for lacks of sleep._

_Mmm...bed..._

_Thanks for reading. Send me a review and tell me what you think :P_

_Arigato_

_Lilith_


	6. Chapter 6

_ I apologize for the long wait, my internet was down for almost a week._

_If you find any grammer errors, don't tell me. I spend entirely too much time proofreading these chapters. If there is anyone that would like to volunteer to proofread my story, send me a personal message. I would be very grateful for the help. _

_I also apologize in advance because I had a major writer's block with this story and I ended up writing a filler chapter. I sort of know what I'm doing now, so trust me when I say the next chapter will be more interesting. Still, I hope you enjoy the chapter :D_

_Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach  
_

* * *

They sat in the conference room, the dead silence still remained after General Yamamoto had made the annoucement. The table of vice-captains and captains all gave him grave expressions, and no one quite knew how to respond. 

"They attacked Rukoungai." Yamamoto said again, "Aizen has started a full-out invasion of the spirit plane. By attacking the south edge, we were caught by surprise. All we can do now is put together a force and prepare to meet them head on."

"But, General-" Hitsugaya frowned, "-we are still preparing the attack force that will be sent to Hueco Mundo. The troops we already have there can not last much longer."

"I am quite aware of that, Hitsugaya-taicho. For that I will be putting together additional forces, and I will be sending two captains with them to Hueco Mundo."

"Two?" Byakuya frowned, "That will put quite a strain on the forces here, sir."

"We do not have much more choice in the matter." Yamamoto frowned, "For now what I needed to do was put together a few higher-ranking officers to go defend Rukoungai. The information says that Ichimaru Gin will very likely be with them."

Rangiku perked up when she heard this, and she right away detected the astonishment in Kira's face. He was still greatly imposed by his former captain's defection, having to temporarily take control of the squad himself. After working long hours, doing most of the work alone, Rangiku could sense that he was beginning to wear thin.

"I can not spare more then one captain, but I would like to put Hitsugaya-taicho in charge."

"Aye, sir." Toushirou nodded.

"Take Matsumoto with you, and I would like to send Rukia Kuchiki and Renji Abarai with you."

"Sir?" Renji frowned.

"I decided this only because you are familiar with the area, and it will give us an advantage. Do you think you can provide usefull information, vice-captain?"

"Yes, sir." Renji replied.

"Good. I will have formal paperwork sent out to your offices. Everyone dismissed."

As everyone began to file out, Renji sat in his spot, turning to look at General Yamamoto.

"Sir-" Renji frown deepened further, "-what area of Rukongai were you refering too?"

Yamamoto stood up, "The south 78th District."

The General left the room, leaving Renji alone to contemplate how he was going to deal with this new problem. Returning to the place where he used to live was not something he really wanted to do. He had some good memories, but he also had too many harsh ones that he really did not want to remember.

* * *

Ichigo slammed into a wall. Sliding to the pavement of the mainstreet, he let out a loud groan. The Menos was barely even paying attention to him. 

"Damn it." he planted Tensa Zangetsu into the concrete and used it as a brace to haul himself to his feet. Why did things like this always have to happen to him? If Ishida was here they could have gotten ride of it a long time ago.

Gripping the sword in his hands, he charged towards it again. Realizing a little too late that charging it had been a mistake on his part. The Menos aimed a Cero attack right at him. Cursing loudly, Ichigo braced himself, waiting for the blast to hit him. He was exhausted and wounded, and he did not know if he would be able to stop the whole thing. His vision blurred a little from the head injury he got. Stepping foreward and loosing his stance, he was startled as a strong hand reached out and grabbed his collar, pulling him back.

"You idiot, you can't face a Menos by yourself after spending the entire night running around half-cocked trying to save everyone."

Ichigo had not even sensed the other Shinigami's presence. Staring at the black blur of the taller man, he suddenly came back to his senses.

"The Cero-"

The blast raced towards him. Ichigo raised his sword and stopped it. When he glanced over to his side, he saw that the stranger had stopped it with him. The attack pushed them back, and Ichigo whipped the sword to the side as it vaporized, leaving an aggitated Menos behind it.

Ichigo frowned, "We won't be able to kill it, but if we scare it off it'll leave. If I attack it from the rear, you can attack it from the front. It'll be enough to at least get it off this dimension."

"I agree."

Ichigo stopped, recognizing the voice. Turning to the side, he gapped at his father, who grinned widely at him.

"Out late again, Ichigo? It's not healthy."

"What the _hell_ are you doing here?!" he jabbed a finger in his father's direction.

Isshin made a face, "That's not a very polite way to treat people that rescue you, boy. I sure hope you're not going around treating people in the Soul Society that way."

"Wh-What?"

"Urahara said you were headstrong." he said, rubbing the top of Ichigo's head, "Of course, I already knew that."

Ichigo stared at him, "Dad, you're a-"

He did not finish the sentence.

"That Menos is really pissed at us right now." Isshin told him, "I think it's 'bout time we got rid of it, hm?"

"Yeah." Ichigo nodded, and he disappeared. Isshin whistled out loud to himself, Ichigo was headstrong be he was not a slouch. His son was fast. He would have to quiz Ichigo about his powers later. Although Isshin had heard about them from Urahara, he had never seen Ichigo fight.

Ichigo was amazing.

As they both flung themselves foreward, making a double assult on the gigantic Hallow. Isshin took this moment of amazing his son's fighting capabilities as a Shinigami himself. Isshin had been formally trained by the Seireitei, but Ichigo had never had the same oppurtunities. If he had remained at the Soul Society, and had Ichigo trained by the Shinigami formally, there was no doubt that he would have made it to vice-captain by now.

Ichigo could also wield a powerful bankai. That was something that was unheard of from someone his age. Of course, it as probably partially due to Ichigo's Vaizard abilities.

Isshin smiled as he landed, hearing the cry of the Menos as it disappeared through the cracked sky. The other monsters around them began to dissolve. Isshin whipped his sword through the air and put it back into the sheath, folding his arms as Ichigo stared at him.

There was silence. No one talked about the Menos they had just defeated. Or the fact that hundreds of Hallows had just appeared in Karakura. Both Ichigo and Isshin knew who sent them, it was not brain science. But there was only one question Ichigo had, and he had to ask it.

"Did mom know?"

Isshin hoped Misaki was watching them at that moment. She was always watching Ichigo during his fights, and that was something that had calmed him about sending his eldest son out to fight in horrible battles.

"Yes."

Ichigo roared loudly, having already dropped his bankai form, he drove the huge sword into the pavement, glaring at his father.

"Why didn't you tell me!?" he said, "Why did you not-"

"I had lost my powers." he said, "I had lost them, and I promised Misaki that I would give up that life to live with her."

Ichigo stared at his father. The thought suddenly occured to him that with his father being as powerful of a Shinigami that he was, and from the reiatsu level Ichigo sensed he was very powerful, that the memory of the fact that he was powerful and still could not save his wife reeked havoc on Isshin's conscience.

After then, Ichigo did not inquired about it any more. He knew the answer that his father would give him. Instead, he smiled, to Isshin's surprise. He had expected Ichigo to shout some more, swear a lot, or maybe try to beat him over the head a few times.

"My sword is larger then yours."

Isshin laughed, and then he smirked widely.

"That is because you can't control your reiatsu." he said, burying his hands in the sleeves of his uniform, "Your zanpakuto looks like a kitchen butcher knife, Ichigo."

Ichigo made a face at him as Isshin strolled over to him, clamping a hand on his shoulder.

"Misaki would have been thrilled to know that you are such a skilled Shinigami. You're mother would have been very proud of you."

Ichigo smiled saddly, and nodded, "I know."

Smacking him on the back, Ichigo grunted. Isshin turned around and headed towards Urahara's place. Calling after him, Ichigo figured that maybe he had more in common with his father then he originally had thought.

* * *

Rukia stood on the balcony, staring at the sky. It was nice to be alone in the quiet. Ever since the...announcement...Marou Kazah had not left her alone for more then a ten minutes. As independent of a person she was, it was hard for her to adjust to the sudden invasion of her personal space. Considering he insisted on holding her hands, trailing after her... 

She was about ready to take Shirayuki and stab herself in the head. Maybe then she would not have to deal with him. He was irritating as hell.

That was not the worse part though. She was pratically the vice-captin of the 13th Division, she knew how to deal with idiots. But the one person that she could always lean on and tell her troubles to was avoiding her.

_Renji._

Renji had not spoken to her, come to her, or even stayed in the same room as her since everyone found out. It was a surprised. She knew he might be a little upset, but she did not think he would be so troubled by it.

The door to the mess hall suddenly shifted open and ironically, Renji stepped out. He stared at her with wide eyes and then turned down the hallway.

"Wait, Renji!" she called, "Where are you going?"

"I have work."

"What the heck is you're problem?" she snapped.

"What?"

"You won't even look at me." she said, "Renji...is it about the engagement?"

He stared at her quietly a moment, and then said, "You're supposed to accompany Hitsugaya-taicho on a mission to the Rukongai 78th District. Ichimaru is leading an army of Arancars over there."

She stared at him and then gasped, "78th-"

"I will be going as well." he said, "They need people that know the area."

Rukia was silent, too shocked to say anything to him.

"I have work."

With that, he turned around and left her.

* * *

The door opened, and Yuzu squealed and threw her arms around around Ichigo's waist. 

On the way back, he and his father had met up with Tatsuki and Muruguma. After having a brief heads-up on the Hallow situation, Muruguma left to tend to his policing dutie, and Tatsuki occupanied him. She was far too exhausted to walk all the ten miles back to her place so she was going to the precinct to get a ride. Muruguma seemed not at all surprised about Ichigo's father being a Shinigami. He brushed it off and wandered down the street with Tatsuki to the police station.

Tatsuki and Muruguma. Such strange people.

Urahara served them tea, sat them down, and after making sure that no one had any serious injuries to be treated, he sighed, "That would have been so much easier had Ishida been here." Kisuke replied, "His Quincy powers are more effective then Shinigami at times."

"Ishida is not an option for us to ask for help." Ichigo said, taking a sip, "Stop asking about him."

Everyone glanced nervously across the room. It had been two years since Ishida left, and ever since then, Ichigo had always been a little irrate about it. He never explained why.

"Ichigo, I detect a little hostility in your tone." Isshin replied, "How, pray tell, did Ishida earn the honor of having your contempt?"

"You're making fun of me, Dad. Stop it."

"I'm not. I'm just curious."

"We're all curious." Urahara said, "Last I saw Sado-kun, he seemed a little put-out as well. Sado-kun is never disturbed by anything."

Ichigo stared at his tea a moment.

"I don't really know what his deal is." he said, "He just packed up his stuff and high-tailed it out of Karakura. Chad and I managed to catch him the last day he was here, but he brushed us off and told us it was none of our business and to stay the hell out of his way."

_Ah_, Isshin nodded to himself. Ichigo was not really the expressive type, but he was highly protective about all his friends, such as Chad was. If Ishida was insensitive enough to be disturbed about something and not tell anyone, then cuss out anyone that tried to help...that was a big mistake.

Urahara frowned, "Kurosaki-san..."

"I know what you're going to say." Ichigo said, "I know we need his powers to win this war. I've been trying to get up there for years to try and haul him back, but it doesn't work. He just stays up there like the stubborn ass he is."

There was a moment of silence.

"Ichi-nii." Yuzu looked up. She had been silent for a while. Karin wanted to say things, but she did not feel like she had the mindset to intrude on Ichigo's frame of mind. When he set himself to something, nothing could hold him back.

Ichigo looked at her.

"You are his friend." Yuzu said plainly, "You need to go help him. If he complains, then it's his own fault. But if he can help, then he shouldn't brood and let innocent people suffer for it."

She was right, Ichigo nodded in agreement. He knew there was only one option open to him, and one that he knew he had to do. Especially with the upcomming meeting between the Vaizards and the Shinigami, he needed to have someone else there who was not baised on either side. Ishida hated Vaizards and Shinigami, so it was easy enough to believe that he would not have favored opinions in the negotiations.

Ichigo sighed and set down the teacup.

"I need to head back to my place and pack some stuff." he said, "I only have a couple days until I have to go back to school, so I don't have much time. I'm going to bring Ishida back here if I have to knock him out and drag him here. I will not deal with all this crap by myself."

Isshin smiled, "Good luck. You'll need it."

Ichigo retreated towards the door of the place. He had too much to do and not enough time to do it and naturally, he had to do it all by himself.

* * *

He scribbled furiously on the board, letting the noise of the chalk on the board float through everyone else's ears before he turned back to his audience and explained the sentence. Teaching latin was not his favorite occupation, but it passed the time. There were people of all ages all over the complex that came to his class, and there were even students shipped from other monastaries in Hokkaido to attend his sessions. 

As Ishida concluded the lesson, he waited for the children to leave before packing his bag and heading down the hallway.

It was the spring season, so he held his jacket over his shoulder instead of wearing it. He chucked it on the chair in his room when he reached it, sliding the door open from the sitting room, he flopped right onto the wooden balcony outside his door. All he wanted to hear at the moment, were the birds and the wind.

"You are thinking of the past, no?"

"Seishi-dono." Ishida sat up, looking at the elderly man. Seishi was one of the elder monks in the complex, and Ishida talked with him often, "Excuse me for my lack of decorum-"

"Uryuu, you are much too uptight. Lounge on the porch if you wish it. No one shall hold it against you."

With this, Ishida gavea brief smile and sigh as he lay back down. There was another stretch of silence, and Seishi sat on the steps.

"You are quiet the worker, I hear." he said, "You bring in children from all over. This place holds you back."

"I doesn't."

"I does." Seishi replied, "You are certified in physics, medics, and education yet you are only 23. You should be attending forums in Tokyo, not laying here staring at the sky."

"Seishi-dono-"

"You have been here for years now, Uryuu. Yet, you refuse to tell me why you came here other then say that you made a grave mistake and must seek attonement."

"This is true."

"What was your mistake, pray tell?"

"I dishonored my family." Ishida said bluntly.

"How so?"

Ishida rolled over on his side.

"I-" he closed his eyes, "I do not wish to speak of it."

Seishi sighed, "You work hard, Uryuu, and we do appreciate it. But as a monastary, we are allowing you to stay here granted that you reflect on your past. But you seem to be only running from it."

"I suppose I am."

Seishi gave him a sad smile, "You must face it, Uryuu. That is the only way."

"I don't understand how."

"Maybe someone can help with that?" Seishi replied, standing up.

"Pardon?"

He smirked, "We recieved a call. Your aquaintence Ichigo Kurosaki-san will be arriving tommorrow. He told me that if you do not agree to see him that he will hunt you down and beat you senseless until you agree. I told him I would not stop him."

Ishida stared at him, shocked, "Seishi-dono!"

"I can not inflict harm. But-" he chuckled, "-I would not nessecarily stop one from making someone else realize they are being stubborn."

Ishida could not help but smile as the old man wondered off. As he disappeared, Ishida gritted his teeth and slammed a fist into the floor.

_Damn you, Kurosaki._

* * *

Renji walked up to Toushirou, bowing and checking in with his temporary captain for the remainder of the mission. What were they doing? Evacuating citizens and taking them to Rukongai 70 while trying to fend off an army of Arancars, Espada, and Ichimaru. 

It was the last one that bothered Renji.

Although he knew that Ichimaru probably could be defeated by a little work from a few of the other captains, Renji knew that he could not defeat the former 3rd Division captain, and he did not think that Hitsugaya was positive that he would be able to either.

He took the time survey the area, taking note of everything around him.

Matsumoto and Kira were chating with each other. Over the years, they had become sort of brother and sister. They drank together, chatted together...they had a lot of stories to tell one another about the one thing they had in common. Ichimaru.

"Take this with you, Rangiku-san." Kira reached into his robes and pulled out a small, red charm. It was made from red string, and in the middle there was a marble flower threaded into the middle, the strings curved around it in intricate loops. Hanging from the end was a small stone tablet about half the size of her finger. It had the marking of the 3rd Division on both sides. Rangiku looked up and Kira a moment and smiled.

She threaded it into her own kimono and smiled,

"Thanks, Kira." she said, "Hold down the fort for us?"

He nodded, "I'll keep out a bottle of sake for you. I just got some brand new yesterday."

"Well-" she grinned, "-that's good enough reason for me to come back, hm?"

He chuckled and nodded again. Before he could open his mouth to say anything else, she threw her arms around him.

"Thank you, Kira." she said, "If I see Gin, I swear to the gods that I will defeat him for the both of us. Even if it kills me."

He face fell a moment, and he nodded, "If you see him...tell him I said hi."

Rangiku smiled back at him, smearing the lone tear that fell out of the corner of her eyes, "I'll do that."

He waved as she turned around and left. Toushirou glanced over the shoulders of the Shinigami that were telling him some information, and Kira bowed slightly to him. Hitsugaya followed the compliment, and then watched as Kira straightened his uniform and headed back to the Seireitei.

Renji watched the whole exchange. Ichimaru Gin had always given him the creeps. Even though he was not the strongest Shinigami to ever live, he had a strange look, strange voice, strange name, even a strange sword. Gin was just...strange. But beside all of these things, there were people like Kira and Rangiku that had relied on him.

Because of this, Renji could not bring himself to hate Ichimaru as much as he hated Aizen. If he hated Gin at all at this point, it was because of all the suffering it had caused Rangiku and Kira.

"Renji!"

He turned around, seeing Rukia run towards him. She tied the cloak around her, stopping in front of him.

"Hey." she smiled, "You ready to go."

He sighed, "As ready as I'll ever be. Not that I ever wanted to go back to that place."

"I hear you there."

"Rukia!"

They both turned towards the voice. Appearing in the flash next to them, Renji's eyebrows went up as Marou's face appeared in his feild of vision. Well, at least the guy was not totally inept in the reiatsu department.

"I just wanted to see you off." he said, "You didn't show up this morning."

"I-" Rukia glanced nervously at Renji, "-I had a lot of things to do. I had to clear some things with Nii-sama and with Ukitake-taicho."

"Quite understandable." Marou smiled, nodding quickly at her, "Good luck, Rukia."

"Yeah." she said, looking away. Looking back up at her fiance, she yelped as his arms snaked out and pulled her foreward. She had no time to react as pressed his lips over hers.

"I'll be waiting for you when you get back." he murmured into her ear. Letting go of her, he disappeared from sight.

Rukia gapped at the spot where he stood, and then looked back up at Renji. He was giving her a very odd expression. Of all the people that Marou had to accoust her in front of, it had to be Renji.

"Renji-"

He frowned and turned away from her.

"Renji!"

He stopped, "Don't misunderstand me, Kuchiki-san." he said, "I am...very happy for you. I wish you many happy years. He seems...stable enough. You'll have more then we ever had when we were younger. I'm happy for you, I really am."

Rukia watched him head back to the crowd. It was the first time, even when she was adopted into the Kuchiki family, that Renji had ever addressed her formally.

* * *

_I hope this chapter doesn't chase away all my readers, I know this wasn't the most spectacular chapter ever. But then again, sometimes in stories you get parts that are a little stagnent. Okay...I'll stop rambling now. Back to listening to cajun folk music..._

_Send me a review and tell me what you think :D_

_Arigato _

_Lilith_

_Yay for voting. I'm so glad the election is over...sigh... _


	7. Chapter 7

_Yay! I finally got it done:D_

_I wish everyone a good Thanksgiving, or Turkey Day, or whatever you call it. I hope you enjoy the chapter._

_Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach_

* * *

Ichigo sat on the train alone, staring out of the window and watching the trees whisk by. He had just spent hours on a plane before catching a train to the monastary on Hokkaido. It had been a while since he had been to this part of Japan. Although he did not exactly like the reason he had to take the trip, it was nice to have a break. 

He had three days to convince Ishida to come back. Considering everything that had gone down years ago, Ichigo did not really have a lot of faith in that sentiment. But Yuzu had been right, it did not matter what their individual problems were. Aizen meant to destroy everything, and that was everyone's problem.

Getting off the train, an elderly man was waiting for him at the station. Ichigo promptly placed his hands together and bowed to the monk.

"Thank you for allowing me to come on such short notice, Seishi-dono." Ichigo said.

"It is really no problem, Kurosaki-san." he said, "Shall we proceede to the temple? I'm sure that you are exhausted from your trip."

Ichigo nodded, but did not press the matter. He was tired, so tired that he felt like he could sleep for a week. It really did not help that 24 hours earlier he was fighting a Menos Grande and hundreds of other Hollows in Karakura.

The countryside was beautiful. Ichigo followed Seishi up the steps towards the temple, taking in every detail of the nature around them. There was a dense forrest surrounding the place, and easily a quarter of a mile of path and steps that led up to the hill. When they reached the top, Ichigo bowed respectively to the other monks that came to greet him.

Turning back to look and the view of the landscape behind him, he sighed before following Seishi and the others into the monastary.

* * *

Orihime weaved her way through the crowds, shouting orders to her medical help. Ayame sat on her shoulder, 

"Please, Orihime-sama..." she begged, "Please stop. You're spirit energy-"

"I have patients." Orihime turned to the next table, speaking a few orders to Tak who was following her closely with supplies. After deciding that the next patient did not require immediate attention, she moved to the next one.

The healing room had filled to the brim with wounded Hollows and Arancars from the battles that had started to spring up between the Soul Society and Hueco Mundo. Ichimaru Gin had just departed not to long ago with his fleet. Before he left, Orihime had managed to catch him to ask him the question that had been bothering her.

_"What will you do if you end up having to fight Rangiku-san?"_

_Gin stopped, and looked at her. He gave her the same, odd smile that he always had. _

_"I serve Aizen-sama." he said, "I know who I must work for."_

_Orihime frowned, "Would you be able to kill her if you had too?"_

_He did not say anything then, only turned around without looking back._

Orihime did not mention anything at the time, but suspected that was the last time that Gin intended to step onto Hueco Mundo.

He planned on dying.

Stopping over the next patient, she folded her hands, "_Shun'ou, Ayame, I reject_..."

* * *

Grimmjaw stood off to the side, Ulquiorra was taking charge of most of the functions, which he was not complaining about. It was common knowledge that Grimmjaw served Aizen, but no one else. He was known to be more independent then the other Espada. 

"You are a worker of Aizen-sama, Grimmjaw. You should do more then stand in the corner and collect dust."

"Mind your own business." he snapped at Tszuria. He never really talked to the female Espada. Frankly, it was because he did not like her. She gave him an uneasy feeling, like she would easily turn on anyone if it served to her own advantage. Not that he had never done something like that, he just did not like the fact that she might try to turn on him.

"You're always so testy." she murmured to him, "Could it be that you've developed a little crush on our Pet?"

"Fuck off. I'm not in the mood for your mind games."

She chuckled, "Aizen-sama said we couldn't kill her. He never said we had to respect her-"

Grimmjaw turned and grabbed her collar, "If you touch her and I'll kill you." letting go of her, he turned towards the hallway.

"She doesn't belong here, Grimmjaw." she said, "You're an Espada. An _Arancar_! You're her mortal enemy, we all are. Do not forget that she is also yours."

"I have forgotten nothing." he said.

"Eventually her people will come back for her!" she shouted, "Aizen-sama will kill them all. Do not get over attached."

"Screw you." he said, turning away from her and disappearing down the hallway.

* * *

Ishida sat on the porch, staring at the sky. It was part of his routine after all his duties to lay and think to himself. Some people may think he was trying to sulk in his own worries, but he prefered to think of it as "remembering" past mistakes. 

Mistakes. Who the hell was his fooling? The mistake that he made was that he did not regret doing what he did. That was what had chased him away from everything. Regret would have made everything so much easier and so much more simple. Ishida would have been able to deal with guilt, it was a feeling he was used to.

There was a shufftle, and someone flopped on the wood floor. Ishida's senses had not dulled in any form. He knew it was Ichigo Kurosaki.

"I told you to leave me alone."

"I told you that you're a stubborn dumbass." Ichigo said, taking a bite out of the apple in his hand, "You want me to say it again? You're a dumbass, Ishida."

Uryuu glared at his orange-haired friend out of the corner of his eyes. Turning on his side, he stared at the flower in the garden in front of the building.

"You need to come back."

"No."

"I didn't ask." Ichigo said, "You HAVE to come back. Now."

"No."

"Why the hell not?"

"Because I said so."

Ichigo muttered a curse, "_Why _not?"

Ishida was quiet, there was no way he was going to tell Kurosaki what was wrong. Ichigo was not nessecarily the most understanding man on the planet, and Ishida doubted Ichigo would know what to say.

"Because you wouldn't understand."

"Well, maybe if you told me, I would be able to decide that."

"Kurosaki-"

"I deal with 30, high-school kids, 6 days out of the week, Ishida. Don't give me that emo, 'you don't know me' crap. I already get it enough."

Sitting up, Ishida leaned against the railing. Ichigo raised an eyebrow, tossing the apple core in the trash bin right that was right inside the open door.

"People are dying, Ishida." he said, "Yesterday, there was a Menos."

_Menos._

Ishida gasped, "What-"

"Don't worry, we were able to get rid of it." Ichigo said, "But it was difficult."

There was an uneasy pause of silence between them.

"Kurosaki-"

"Innocent people, Ishida." he said, "I don't have time to sit here and play twenty questions with you. Chad had to go back to Mexico for a while. The Vizards have got their own beef and want to have a meeting with the Seireitei that I have to mediate. Inoue is-" he stopped, looking away, "-not here."

Ishida did not miss the note of despair in Ichigo's voice for the absenence of Orihime. Ever since he met her, Ishida had always thought of Inoue as a friend of his, and one of the most competant persons out of their little group. Even though she always appeared spacey and unobservant, Orihime always knew more then she let on.

It had not passed by Ishida that Orihime had also been very much in love with Ichigo Kurosaki. With that saying, he also did not miss the idea that Kurosaki had feelings for Orihime that went well past friendship.

But as much as he hated it, Kurosaki was right. A Menos Grande would have been easier to beat had he lent his Quincy powers. Innocent people were dying, and he was not helping anyone by sulking.

It was so simple, that it just depressed him more.

"Look, Ishida-" Ichigo said, "-we all have our demons. Whatever it is, it'll make you feel better if you talk about it."

_Hell_, Ichigo thought, _I sound like a damn school counseler._

"Not this." Ishida shook his head, "This is something I will not get over."

"What? What won't you get over?"

Letting out a big sigh, he came out with it.

"I fell in love with a woman."

Ichigo stared at him, and made a face, "That's _ALL_? You holed yourself up in this place for two years for that?"

"And I slept with her."

Letting out a frustrated noise, Ichigo clapped his hands together, "Well _hell_, Ishida! That's your biggest transgression in life? You slept with a woman that you're in love with? I'll tell you this, dude, that if that's what your punishing yourself for then there's no hope for the rest of humanity."

"You're not listening, damn it!" Ishida roared, "It was Nemu Kurotsuchi!"

_WOAH._

Ichigo's eyebrows instantly went up. That was not the answer he was expecting to get.

Ishida...and the daughter of the person who murdered all the Quincy? As much as Ishida always seemed in control of himself, Ichigo was well aware that Ishida was more sensitive then he appeared. It was probably a mind job on him knowing that he slept with the woman that was supposed to be his mortal enemy. Even though Nemu had not been responsible for what Mayuri did, she was still his daughter and vice-captain.

"Don't look at me that way." Ishida said, "It's not like I really had a choice in the matter. You think I like this? You think I wanted to fall for her, sleep with her, and then run away like some coward? I have never run from anything in my life."

They stared at the sun setting in the horizon, and Ichigo flicked a bug off his pantleg.

"Look, Ishida..." Ichigo sighed, "I don't have any advice to give you, or fluffy words, or anything like that. All I can say is that you need to come back and help me fight this fight. We're nearing the end soon, and this is not just a battle between the Shinigami and some unseen enemy...this is Aizen and he means to destroy us all."

"I know."

"So, are you coming back, or what?"

Ishida thought a moment, then stood, and he rubbed the side of his head.

"Ishida-"

"Okay." the dark-haired man said, "Yes, I'll go back."

Walking threw the open door that Ichigo sat next to, Ishida headed into his room and opened the dresser. In the top, there was a small, wooden box hidden under the socks. Opening it, there was a small braclet with a snow-flake looking charm on the end. Closing it in his hand, he pressed it to his forehead.

_She shook her head, tears ran down her cheeks. Normally she was so unexpressive that the sudden burst of emotion shocked him._

_"You think this is all about you? What about me? I took a risk too, and I do not regret it. Do you regret it? Is that the problem? You actually let yourself have something for once, and now you regret it? Regret us?"_

_"I don't regret it. That's the problem."  
_

"Let go, Ginrei Kojaku." he murmured, slipping the braclet on, "I think it's time we showed Aizen what we can do."

* * *

Orihime stood in the hallway. 

Hour and hours of healing, treating...listening to moaning and screaming.

These were the Hollows that attacked her friends and family, and now she was healing them. Healing them so they could be sent right back out to hurt everyone she loved. She prayed to herself every day that Kurosaki-kun would never come for her, she would never be able to face him like this.

Pulling the white handkerchief off her head that held her hair out of her eyes, Orihime felt her legs trembling under her. She barely had enough energy to stand.

Standing...

Before she knew it, she pitched foreward. Someone caught her and swept her up into the air.

"Wha-"

"Silence, woman."

Catching the piercing gaze of his light-blue eyes, she had reached a point where she did not care anymore. She did not care that her head rest on his shoulder as he carried her into her room. Orihime just did not care anymore.

Grimmjaw disappeared a moment and came back with a glass, "Drink."

"What-"

"Now."

It was not an order. When she did not move fast enough, he sucked down some of it himself, tipped her head back, and closed his mouth over hers. A sugery taste filled her mind and sunk into the back of her throat.

"You idiot." he said, "For someone who supposed to be the medic and has all this power worthy of a god, you know shit about how to take care of it or yourself. Drink all of this." Grimmjaw shoved the glass into her hand, apparently satisfied that he did not have to force it down her throat anymore.

She sipped it. _Sugar in water_. The sugar would re-energize her system. Because she had overexhausted her spirit powers, she needed the sugar to help bring her enegy back from the point of shutting down.

"What do you want from me?" she asked, dazed, "Why are you always being so nice to me? I thought you hated me."

"I do hate you."

"Funny way of showing it."

"You're a damn hypocrite." he said, snatched the glass from her, "Now sleep or I will personally beat you unconcious."

"Hitting a woman, Gimmjaw? That's low." she said as her head hit the pillow. It suddenly dawned on her that he had, again, kissed her. It was as if he was taking every oppurtunity he could to touch her. Puzzling as it was, it was even more distrubing that she had seemed to get used to it.

Giving her one last look, he turned and left her room. It was not too long after that she fell asleep.

* * *

He stood outside her door, staring at the floor. 

_She doesn't belong here._

_No, she doesn't._

It was a decision he had made up long ago. One that he had hidden deep in the back of his soul with the other fact that he was preventing himself from facing. The fact that he was in love with her. That fact was enough to get him to betray everything he was, and too risk his own life. If he died for it...then he deserved what he got.

Grimmjaw glanced at her closed door once more, brushing his fingers over the door, he then turned and walked away.

* * *

_I wish everyone good holidays. What am I going to be spending my break next week doing? My mother and sister thought it would be funny to volunteer me for making dinner. Can I cook? Hell no. I'm just going to stand around buttering pans, cleaning dishes, and pealing potatos like I always do. It's not the most elaborate job, but someone has to do it. Thank goodness I'm good at cleaning._

_I'm also starting my cosplays this week that will be for Detour. I hope I get them done in time :I Yay for sewing. I hope my machine decides to cooperate with me. That would be really nice because I sort of need it to sew. Heh._

_I hope you liked the chapter. The next update will be up as soon as I can finish it. Keep safe for Thanksgiving next week!_

_Arigato_

_Lilith_


	8. Chapter 8

_Ah, finals week. What would the college experience be without them? Good luck to everyone in finals._

_Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach  
_

* * *

Ishida sat on the train, gazing out the window with a sorrowful look on his face. He had left the temple for the first time in years, and suddenly he found that he felt like someone who was lost in a huge crowd. Going back to Karakura would be nice in that he would be able to visit his grandfather's and mother's grave and reconnect with old aquaitences. However, there was always a possiblity that he would end up facing some people that he had been trying to purposefully avoid. 

"Cheer up, Ishida." Ichigo said from the other side of the little room. He had a stack of papers in his lap, scribbling furiously with a black pen, a pair of reading glasses on his face. Glancing over at the open book in his other hand, he turned back to the papers without looking up at Ishida, "Don't look like your being lead to your execution."

"I might as well think of it that way." he said, "It's a miracle that my father never found out, or Kurotsuchi-taicho for that matter."

Ichigo snorted, chuckling to himself. Moving over to another stack of papers sitting under a book, he dropped the pile in Ishida's lap.

"Correct those."

"What are-"

"Grammer. I only have 2 weeks left of the school year and I need to finish these papers before going back to school tommorrow. Fighting Hollows and coming after your sorry ass has not exactly done wonders on my time frame."

Ishida made a face and opened the answer book, "Whatever made you work as a teacher anyway? I thought you hated school."

Ichigo shrugged, flipping another paper over, "After working as a Shinigami I guess I wanted to do something that wasn't as life-threatening. Something where I felt like I was in control of my own life." he said, "And mabye because I wanted to prove to everyone that I had the ability to do whatever I wanted with my own life. Just because I was forced into the life of a Shinigami, doesn't mean I have to be a slave to it."

_Looking up at him, she lightly brushed her fingers across his cheek. Tilting her head slightly, her fingers trailed over his chin,_

_"Did you always want to be a Quincy?" she asked._

_Ishida thought a moment, "I never really had a choice in the matter, but I guess I never minded. Being able to carry on my family's wishes and fighting to protect people has never bothered me. It's more of a 'being' rather then a job or a duty. I am a Quincy like I am a human being."_

_"But was not there anything else that you wanted to do?"_

_"My father is a doctor by profession." he said, "Medicine interests me. I'll probably go into that career once I leave school."_

_"I always wanted to swim in the ocean."_

_Ishida stared down at her a moment, "Nemu-"_

_"Promise me that you'll take me there one day." she said, "Just because I'm a Shinigami, does not mean that I can not dream for anything else."_

"I suppose." Ishida replied, returning to the stack of papers in his lap.

* * *

Ichimaru Gin stood at the top of the hill by himself, looking over Rukoungai 78. Part of him felt a little guilty having to do this, but not for the usual reasons. He had come from the Rukoungai himself, and had spent most of his childhood and teenage life navigating around the deserted plains. Being impoverished had it's downsides, but at least he had been able to do whatever he wanted. 

"What are your orders, sir?" the Arancar, Gin remembered his number was 73, approched him. They were waiting in a dimensional rift just a few feet away, ready to come threw at Ichimaru's orders.

"We'll wait a little longer." Gin said, "There is a small group of scouts from the Seireitei that go threw here about this time. If we go now they will alert the Soul Society."

"Yes sir." he disappeared.

God, he was tired. Having endless power and authority was better then anything he could have imagined. But at one point, he found himself completely and utterly alone.

_Like I always was._

He was tired of standing alone on the balcony to his bedroom every night and seeing no one else with him. This was the last time he was going to fight for Aizen. He was going to die in this battle, and thats all there was to it.

As the last of the Shinigami gaurds left, he smirked and snapped his fingers. The rift cracked open like a shattered mirror and the troops came.

Renji hurried along the trees, doing his best to stay alongside Hitsugaya.

"Abarai, I have something to ask you."

"Sir?" Renji gave him a curious glance.

"If...If something happens to me in battle, you must be the one to take command. The top priority is to get the people out. Do not worry about Matsumoto and I."

"What?" Renji frowned, "But this is your mission, sir. Matsumoto-"

"If General Yamamoto is right and Ichimaru is here, then I can't force her to go against him. Beside the fact that it would put her and team in a precarious position...as a friend I can not make her."

Renji nodded, "I will do as you ask."

Hitsugaya chuckled, "Don't worry about it Abarai, I'll have you know, that many of the high Seireitei officials would be satisfied if you became captain of one of the units."

Renji gapped at Hitsugaya as if there was another head growing out of the younger man's shoulders.

"Don't shoot it down yet." Toushirou smiled, "Think about it-"

Hitsugaya's face turned pale as he felt the huge spike in reiatsu. He motioned with his hand and everyone instantly landed on the ground. There were only a few people following him, the rest of the troops were just beyond on the clearing.

"They're here." he said, "Kuchiki, Abarai, I want you two to concentrate on securing an escape route for the people. You know this land better then we do, so find a way to get the people out."

"Of course." Rukia replied, having just approched them. Tugging on Renji's sleeve, he nodded to her and they were instantly off.

Matsumoto smiled sadly, watching the other two leave, and then she stood next to her captain, "Gin is here."

"I know." Hitsugaya frowned, turning to look back at the town, "I'll have to face him myself-"

He froze.

A face stared back from him, inches away from his own face. Standing on the edge of the rockface in front of Hitsugaya, eye-level with the white haired captain, was Ichimaru.

_Damn it!_, Hitsugaya gasped, _How did he-_

"Long time no see." Gin chuckled, sneering widely into his face as he drew his sword, "Looks like we'll finally be able to finish our match, hm? Shinsou-" his red eyes opened to glare straight at the young man, "-shoot him down."

* * *

Shinji sat at the table in the Eternal Realm, taking another sip from the sake. Most of the Shinigami regulars stopped comming in a few days ago, and because of that, it was quiet. Hiyori was making her rounds about the bar, and he took another sip as he watched her. 

He had known Hiyori since they were young. Being the son of a prominate businessman, Shinji was expected to take over the family company eventually, and Hiyori was the daughter of a rival company. In the end, to try and smooth over relations, their parents had arranged a marriage between them.

They arranged it when they were _5 years old_.

At first Shiniji hated Hiyori. She was a gangly girl, without a whole lot of looks to her in the first place, with a tomboyish sort of attitude, and the quickest way to get him to do what she wanted was to beat him over the head. In the beginning, she had been the terror of his existence. They could barely be in the same room with each other when they first met. Shinji had come to doubt the sanity of his parents when he learned that she was the girl he was supposed to be his wife.

That was until he learned that she had the same powers that he did.

It happened one night they had a particular bad fight. Both of their parents had tried to arrange some sort of 'dinner date' for them when they got into middle school. Most of it had gone well until Shinji had 'accidently' teased her about the fact that her hair was short. Hiyori had promptly flipped out at him, and stormed out of the resturaunt in a huff.

Knowing that he could not actually go back without her, he had spent the next four hours after that looking for. After almost getting hit by a semi truck, soaking wet from the storm that had started, and utterly exhausted from searching the whole city himself he had finally found her.

She was being attacked.

Without thinking, not caring that she would learn that he had odd power, he had promptly materialized into his Hollow form, drew a zanpakuto, and beat the living daylights out of her assailants. Deciding at one point that she had gained her wits about herself, he watched in shock as she pulled a mask over her face, and proceeded to save him from one of the men that he thought he had knocked out.

Not saying anything to each other, he had pulled his jacket around her shoulders and taken her back to his place. He had his own apartment while he was in middle school, to avoid his parents as much as he could back then. Giving her a cup of coffee, they had simply spent the rest of the night sitting and talking. It was then that he learned that she had the same abilities that he did.

When he was in his second year of high school, he ditched his family. It was too constricting on him. He had been able to sense the approaching war, and he needed to fight it. Hiyori had come with him, much to his surprise back then. However, it did not bother him at all to have someone traveling with him. It just meant that he was not alone.

"Yo, Hirako!" Hiyori turned around, "Instead of sitting there and drinking the merchandise why don't you go back and do some work?"

They lived in their own apartment now, having moved out of the werehouse. The other Vizard's were on stand-by and had headed back to their own cities. Hansei was living in the same city they were, but only because he was stationed in Karakura at the police department.

Shinji made a face, gathering up other dishes at the tables, and hauled them to the back. There were not many dishes left to do, only a handful of plates and glasses. It was close to closing time, and most of the people were out for the night. He rolled up his sleeves and began pulling plates into the sink.

Despite the fact that they had been living together since they were in 10th grade, Shinji had not once laid a hand on her.

Hiyori marched into the back room, setting the pile of serving platters on the counter. Letting out a sigh, she sat up on the counter across the room kicking off her shoes.

"Tired?" he asked.

"Hell ya." she said, cracking her neck loudly, "I'm still stiff from training too. What the hell have you been doing, Shinji? You're getting fast."

He chuckled and shrugged, "I try."

"So." she said, "What are you planning with this whole Shinigami-thing?"

"Well..." he said, setting the clean dishes aside to dry, "...I know that if we can make some sort of agreement with them, we can hopefully get something beneficial out of it."

"Like what?"

"We have been able to gather more intelligence and more information about the weak points of the Arancar then the Seireitei has. If we give it to them, they let us in on their assult plans."

"They scratch our back, we scratch theirs?"

"Basically."

"I'll hand it too you, Hirako, you've got guts." she said, "You would have made a hell of a corperate man."

Shinji chuckled, "It's funny, isn't it?"

"What?" she said.

"That our families have millions, but here we are working full time at a bar doing dishes." he hummed, "Oddly liberating, isn't it?

She stared at him a moment and chuckled, "I suppose."

There was a silence for a moment, and then she smiled,

"I got a letter from Risa the other day." she said a little too quickly, "She says that grad school is going well."

"That's good." he said, setting another dish aside.

She frowned, staring at his back.

"Say, Shinji..."

"Hmm?"

"This war is going to be bad." she said, "We may not make it-"

In a blink of an eye, before she could finish the thought, he turned and pressed a finger to her lips.

"Hush." he said, "Don't say such depressing things. What will be will be."

She stared at him a moment. When was it that she started to rely on him so much? When was it that she started to feel her tomboyish, independent self start to slip away to this person that could not help but be comforted by him? By Shinji Hirako, of all people.

Hiyori nodded, "Okay."

* * *

"CAPTAIN HITSUGAYA!" 

Rangiku shrieked as the sword pierced her captain's shoulder and shoved him into the nearest tree. There was a loud roar from Toushiro as he grabbed the sword that was stuck in his shoulder, and promptly yanked it free. He drew Hyorinmaru, and took a defensive position at a safe distance. Comming toe-to-toe with him, Gin smirked as he drew his sword back.

"You were never a match for me, boy."

Hitsugaya raised his sword, seeing the flood of Arancar in his feild of vision. Blocking Ichimaru's next sword, he managed to throw himself out of the way, "Matsumoto! The town-"

"I won't leave you here to fight him injured!"

"It's an order!" he called back, "Go!"

She glared at Ichimaru. He had not even looked at her once. Shaking her head violently, she blinked from sight. Gin turned back to his former commrade,

"You've taken good care of her, Shiro."

"That's supposed to be your job, you bastard." Hitsugaya swiped his sword through the air, slicing a cut into Gin's cheek.

"Sorry, Shiro, but I can't rescue you this time. Aizen needs a prisonar, and your the best choice." he said, "Abarai is much to bothersome, Rukia Kuchiki doesn't know enough, and Rangiku...well, I'm not giving her to Aizen."

"What?"

Gin chuckled, "Lights out."

The young man gasped as Gin appeared behind him, and promptly smacked him upside the head with Shinsou. Hitsugaya fell to the ground face-first, Hyorinmaru slipping from his grasp. Staring at the 10th Captain a moment, Gin sensed the two Arancar land gracefully behind him.

"Take him to Hueco Mundo." Gin said, "Aizen-sama will be glad to know that he'll be able to get some inside information."

"Yes sir."

They picked up Hitsugaya and they were gone. Gin stood in his spot a moment, staring at the ground.

_Rangiku._

He sheathed his sword and leapt over the ridge towards the town. She was fighting her way threw the village. The lesser Arancars would never stand a chance against her. On the other side, Renji Abarai had brought forth his bankai to clear an effective escape route for the civilians, and Rukia Kuchiki had already frozen a third of the fleet on her own. She was too strong for someone who was supposed to be a regular foot soldier.

If he was planning to die, where was the best place to start?

Glancing over in Rangiku Matsumoto's direction, Arancars 110 and 112 were attacking her at once. Any Arancar in the 100's was a former Espada, and Gin knew that she would not be able to defeat even one of them alone.

He chuckled to himself and headed in her direction.

* * *

Renji cursed out loud as he felt Hitsugaya Toushirou's reiatsu disappear. It was as if the young captain had a skill for predicting battles. Aizen's forces had captured him, but Renji doubted that the ice-captain was dead. 

Rukia was heading towards him, "Most of the civlians are out. Vice-Captain Matsumoto-"

"We have to stay with the people, Captain Hitsugaya ordered me to take command and to get the people out. That's what I'm going to do."

"Renji-"

"It's an order, Rukia." he said, "Get the people out."

She gritted her teeth, and headed back to the end of the line. Matsumoto had still not shown up, and he was beginning to get worried. When everyone was evacuated, they would have to leave.

Whether Matsumoto was there or not.

* * *

Ishida stepped off the bus onto the streets of Karakura. Hauling his bag over his shoulder, he stared up at the night's sky. It was familiar...too familiar. 

"This way." Ichigo waved at him, "Dad wants you to stay at the Kurosaki Clinic."

Ishida headed in the direction that the orange-haired man was leaving in. As he glanced around the town, there were still remains of the last battle with the Hollows. Some shops and houses were still being repaired, a few downed telephone polls here and there...

Ishida sighed, _what did I get myself into?_

* * *

_The next chapter has been put on hold until my Owari fic is finished. That story keeps getting in my mind and pushing out all my ideas, so I'm finishing that story first. It will be done by the end of this week, so expect an update for this story sometime at the end of next week. Thanks for your patience._

_Happy holidays! Send me a review and tell me what you think!_

_Arigato_

_Lilith  
_


	9. Chapter 9

_Thanks for being so patient, it's been a nightmare trying to keep up with all my stories so I took winter break off to reorganize my thoughts. I hope you enjoy this chapter!  
_

_Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach_

* * *

She ran threw the abandoned village, the dark ash from her zanpakuto swirled around her as she tried her best to avoid the energy blasts from the Arancar. There were three on her tail now, and she thanked the gods that Renji and Rukia were able to get the people out before the rest of the enemy force got there.

But there was another problem..._how was she going to get out?_

Matsumoto let out another vicious swear as she ducked behind another building. She was already severely injured, and her opponents showed no signs of giving up. They were on her tail and they were not going to give up until she was dead.

_Damn._

Turning quickly down the next block and heading towards the end of the road, she suddenly stopped, letting out a gasp.

There was a cliff. It dropped close to sixty, seventy feet at least. Turning around, the Arancar warriors sneered at her.

"Quite a beaut', isn't she?" 89 chuckled, resting his sword on his shoulder.

"I hate to cut her flesh." 72 sighed, "Quite a pity indeed."

68 glared at them, "We have bigger fish to fry, guys. Let's kill her and get it over with."

Rangiku gritted her teeth together, holding the sword in front of her. She was trapped, there were no more escape routes that were easily accessible to her. Whatever she was going to do, she had to think of it now.

The three attackers arranged their stances, and began their attacks. Closing her eyes shut and preparing for the worst, she planted her feet readily into the ground. To her confusion, she felt nothing from the attacks. Opening her eyes, she stared in shock at the white robed figure in front of her.

"Gin-"

He raised his sword, "Shinsou, kill them."

She covered her ears, trying to block out the screams of the three Arancar as Shinsou began to vaporize them.. Before she had time to process what was going on, she watched in shock as Gin attacked his own allies. At the last moment, one of them fired an attack towards her. She did not have time to block it.

"Rangiku!" Gin turned around, grabbing her. The attack hit him first, his arms wrapping around her to protect her from any other attacks. The last Arancar caught a glimpse of him as he disappeared.

Aizen would find out.

There would be no where to run.

Gin held on tight to her as the attack forced them off the cliff. The wound in his side was critical, he did not have the energy to stop their fall down the cliff. As they plummeted towards the river below, he caught the sad look in her eyes.

"Wh...Why?" she whispered.

"Because." he replied before they crashed into the river below, "Because I wanted too."

* * *

There was a vague feeling of being dragged threw a long, white hallway. It was hot, too warm from him, and his afraid that he would melt as...whoever it was...dragged him by his ankle down the hall. At one point he passed out again, however when he woke, there were tight chains on his wrists and feet. It was long enough to allow him to stand, but not long enough for him to move easily.

"Well, well. Looks like the young genius has finally awoke." a snide voice floated threw his ringing ears, "Welcome to Hueco Mundo, old friend."

"You are no friend of mine." he replied, "Aizen."

"Come, come, Toushirou Hitsugaya." Aizen laughed, "It is only my generous hospitality that you are still alive. The Espada wanted to kill you right away but I told them it would be more adventageous for everyone if you lived."

"Excuse me if I don't thank you." he coughed, he had at least two broken ribs. They must have beaten him at one point, but he could not remember.

"You have grown well, Shiro." Aizen stood up and walked towards him, "No doubt, I know that you would have become one of the most powerful captains to ever live. I remember Yamamoto telling me the other day that you would eventually become the first division captain if you stayed on."

"I have no desire...to rule the Seireitei."

"That's why you are the best choice." Aizen stopped in front of him. Toushirou stood on shaking feet, coughing one more time and finding a trail of blood on the edge of his lips, "But I'm afraid that its never going to happen."

"Oh, why not?"

"Because, I am going to get information from you." Aizen raised a hand over the young man's chest, "And you're going to tell me what I need to know or-"

With a twitch of his finger, there was a loud, sickening crack. The ice Shinigami cried out as another one of his ribs shattered under Aizen's power.

"You will tell me."

There was a soft chuckle, and Aizen frowned at him, "You laugh?"

"I...will never tell you anything." Toushirou smirked, "You can break every bone in my body. I will die before I tell you shit."

"Such language and disrespect for you superiors-"

"Aizen-sama!"

The voice the echoed threw the hall seemed to silence everyone. Aizen looked him, the gaurds in the background had stopped yelling. Toushirou recognized the voice in the background but he could not quite place it.

Aizen straightened a moment, and glared at the shadows in the corner of the hall.

"You raise your voice."

"Please accept my apologies, Aizen-sama." she spoke, "But I believe that maybe it will suit everyone's best interest if he rests. If you intend to torture this young man, maybe it will be more effective to wait until he is completely healed, no?"

"You..." Aizen chuckled, "...can be more merciless then myself."

Toushirou turned his head towards the voice as she walked from the shadows. His eyes grew wide.

"I have only learned from the best, Aizen-sama." she bowed her head, "He will be my liability. I will be responsible for him."

"Of course you will, Orihime." Aizen nodded, "If something happens, as in an escape per chance, I will kill you in his place."

"Yes, Aizen-sama." she said.

The chains suddenly shattered from him, and he sunk to the floor. Orihime pulled his arm over her shoulder as Aizen chuckled,

"Tell me, Shiro...how is dear Momo-chan these days?"

They stopped, Orihime could feel his grip on her shoulder tighten almost painfully. It was obvious that Aizen had struck a cord with the ice warrior, and knew how to torture him in ways other then the physical.

"Don't talk about her like you give a fuck."

* * *

As the door towards the main hall shut and Toushirou found himself being deposited into a cell, and Orihime pulled out a med kit and began to work on his wounds.

"You." he whispered, "Orihime Inoue."

She gave him a sad, but happy-looking smile. It was the sort of forced, painfull smile that seemed to turn his heart. There were deep, dark circles under her eyes and her face was pale. The years of living in Hueco Mundo had definantly taken a toll on her. She was probably in her early twenties now, but she still had the same beautiful, youthful complextion, even though the aura around her felt like she was twice her age.

Hitsugaya narrowed his eyes at her, "Why did you save me?"

Orihime was quite a moment, holding her hands over his rib cage, "I can heal your ribs, but the other wounds will have to heal naturally. I don't have enough energy right now to heal the rest. Until then, I'll have some dinner brought to you, and you need to sleep."

She looked tired, more tired then he was.

"Why do you not rest?" he asked.

She laughed, a sad, but soft laugh. It was not to different then her previous one.

"I am on constant call for Aizen-sama." she said, "I am here to do his bidding."

"Inoue." he frowned, "What the hell are you doing here? Why do you escape-"

"Because she belongs here."

It was a rough, course voice that seethed behind the bars. Orihime's eyes instantly grew cold, and she sighed,

"Grimmjaw." she said, "Tell the others I will return shortly."

"You, woman, are healing the enemy."

"I heal the enemy every day." she said, finishing with Toushirou's ribs and tying the bandages around his arm, "Tell Ulquiorra that I will be there in a few moments."

The Espada regarded her with a different sort of look for a moment, and then glared at Hitsugaya. This was the Espada that Ichigo Kurosaki used to fight, and from what Toushirou rememebered, Grimmjaw felt lot stronger then he used to be.

"Kurosaki has a bone to pick with you." Hitsugaya told him, "In the battle, he says that he will come find you."

Grimmjaw chuckled, "I welcome him, boy."

Orihime's hands stilled for a moment as Grimmjaw left the brig.

"Toushirou-san?"

He looked at her as she was working on his wounds.

"How...How is everyone?"

Hitsugaya sighed, "Yasudora returned to his home country, I have not seen him in four years." he replied, "Ishida has been gone for a while as well, I do not know what has become of him, Kurosaki does not speak of him often. Kurosaki..."

She held her breath.

"...Kurosaki is a teacher at the high school."

There was a moment of silence, and then to his shock, Orihime burst out laughing. She was laughing so hard that she fell to her knees, wrapping her arms around herself.

Grimmjaw stood in the hallway in the shadows where they could not see him. He frowned, glaring at the floor.

She laughed. It was the first time he had ever heard her laugh.

* * *

Opening the glass doors to the Kurosaki Clinic, Ichigo was instantly glomped by a little blonde girl, who squeeled.

"Yuzu." he smiled, "I was only gone two days."

"We missed you!" Yuzu proclaimed, "You don't take good enough care of yourself either! I was worried."

"Aw..." he smiled, rubbing her head. Clapping hands with Karin, Ishida followed him into the house, "Oh, everyone, this is Ishida Uryuu. Be nice to him, he'll be staying with us for a while."

"Really?" Yuzu smiled, bowing quickly to the dark-haired man, "Good! I just made dinner."

"I-" Ishida looked at them. He had never really been part of a functional family, so it was all rather overwhelming. The furthest memory of his family that he had, was listening to his mother sit in the kitchen humming and knitting. She was a very powerful Quincy herself, and the daughter of a priest, "...thank you, I'll join you."

"Good." Ichigo chuckled, "If you had said no, she would have prodded you about it."

Ishida smiled as they headed up the stairs. Seeing the white hallways filled with rooms, Ichigo glanced down the halls, "Pick a room. It doesn't really matter."

"Alright."

Picking the room at the end of the hall, he set his things on the floor, and sat on the white bed. It was strange to be living in a hospital, but it did not bother him too much. Ruffling threw his things, he caught sight of the braclet on his wrist again.

He was returning to the fight.

It was a bold move on his part, he was not quite used to fighting so much anymore. Ishida only hoped the the peaceful years had not completely ruined his fighting abilities.

"Ishida! Dinner!" Ichigo called down the hallway.

Leting out a loud sigh, Ishida stood and left his room.

* * *

Renji stared at the path below. It was at least a 3 or 4 days walk to the Seireitei, taking into account the Shinigami, the wounded, and the civilians. They had at least sixty villagers with them, and about ten warriors that were unable to fight. To top it all off, the Arancar had taken over South Rukongai and were searching for him. Being a vice-captain, Renji was a more valuable prisonar then any of the others.

"Renji."

He frowned, turning to see Rukia behind him. There was a sad look on her face.

"Matsumoto-san and Hitsugaya-taicho are missing." Rukia replied, "Some of the villagers, however, remembered seeing some people going over the cliff, and the Arancar dragging off someone back to Hueco Mundo."

"Swell." Renji looked back at the mountains again. They would have to walk, there was not any other choice.

He was alone.

"What..." Rukia looked up at him, "...what are your orders?"

Renji did not reply to her. Rubbing his eyes he heard a storm in the distance.

"Get the people together. We need to find somewhere to rest for the night." he turned and walked past her, "We need to tend to the wounded and take stock of our supplies. We're on our own."

She did not said anything back at first, then she turned her head, "Renji-"

"Don't start with me Rukia, I'm not the mood to deal with you."

"God, you are such a coward!"

He flinched, turning to look at her. There was an alarmed, blazing look on his face. He was angry, there was no doubt about it. There was a boom overhead, and rain began to fall around them.

"Don't give me that." he said, "You don't know shit."

"This is all about me being engaged, isn't it?" she asked, "I don't understand what you're problem is Renji, its not like I chose it."

The rain started to pour.

"You know-" his arms fell at his sides, "-we've been together a long time, Rukia. Doesn't that mean anything to you?"

"We've never been _together_, Renji." she said, "We're commrades."

"_Only _commrades?"

She gritted her teeth, "Don't start with me."

"Don't start with what, Rukia?" he said blandly, "You won't face that fact that-"

"Shut up, Renji! This is not the time for this!"

"I will not shut up!"

"You think you're the only one that is upset?!" she yelled back at him, "Do you think I want to do this? It's not my choice!"

"You could have fought it!"

"I did!" she said, "I tried and I had to fight it all by myself! Maybe if you had said something back then instead of sulking like a spoiled brat maybe we wouldn't be in this position! I don't see what business of it is yours anyway!"

"It damn well is my business."

"Oh?" she put her hands on her hips, "And why, pray tell, is that?"

"Because I love you!"

She gasped, and turned away from him. He growled loudly, grabbing her arm.

"Renji! Let go of me-"

Renji yanked her back, pulling her arm towards himself as he circled an arm around her waist.

He closed his mouth over hers.

Time seemed to stop as he kissed her. She did not hear the trees, or the wind, or the people, or even the rain. All that she could feel with her senses at all was the soft lips on hers, the smooth hands that were wrapping around her shoulders. She was clinging onto the front of his uniform as he pressed her back against the tree, his mouth dragging over her lips and down her neck.

It felt more wonderful then anything that she had ever felt before. Her arms made their way around his neck, and she found herself kissing him back, her fingers digging into his red hair. His hands roamed over her, and in a moment where her thoughts seemed to return, she felt a warm hand slip under the hem of her kimono.

For a split second, Rukia seemed to gain control of her senses.

"STOP!"

She shoved him, and he stumbled back a few steps, staring at her in horror. The color had drained from both of their faces, and they was both breathing as if they had just run a marathon. _What the hell was he doing? _

"Rukia-"

"Vice-Captain Abarai! Kuchiki-san!" one of the scouts spotted them, dashing up the path on the hill towards them. Coming through the bushes, he saluted quickly, "We have located caves, sirs. We have gathered the people and have proceeded to settle them into the camp site for the night."

There was silence as Renji stared at her. One of her hands now gripped tightly on the front of her kimono, and she looked away from him. Her cheeks turned bright red.

_Great_. She would not even look at him now.

"Good." Renji turned to him, "Rukia and I will be along to help with the wards. I want you to arrange a watching shift."

"Aye, sir."

Renji followed him off. Rukia sunk to the ground next to the tree.

"Damn it..." she murmured, "...damn it..."

* * *

_I was originally planning to write the last scene further on in the story, and then decided that I didn't want the story to be unreasonably long. The story will begin to pick up now, so sit tight and keep reading :D_

_I love reading all of your reviews! I'm glad people love this story so much. Don't forget to send a review to tell me what you think. I love hearing everyone's comments._

_Arigato_

_Lilith_


	10. Chapter 10

_Here's chapter 10. I can't believe this sotry actually got this far..._

_Thank you for your patience!_

_Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach_

_**Note: **A big thanks to **gmsephiroth** for editing this chapter. Thank you!_

* * *

Aizen sat in the chair, his stern eyes staring at the window from where he sat. The outcome of the battle at Rukongai had not completely played out the way he wished. In the end, he had lost over half the troops that were sent, Gin was missing, and the Seireitei had managed to interfere at the last moment. On the upside, Gin sent him a hostage to interrogate. That would help alleviate the fact that Gin had probably defected. 

_That bastard is too arrogant for his own good_, Aizen frowned.

His eyes adverted back to his guest. Hitsugaya was staring nonchalantly at the floor, blood trickled from the end of his broken nose. Of course, the guards stood on either side of the captain, awaiting further orders from Aizen. After getting bored with torturing his former co-worker, Aizen had taken to just letting the boy hang from the ceiling.

Hitsugaya Toushirou was one of those bothersome types. Out of all the men in existence, he was one of the few that was actually decent. If Aizen heard Toushirou refuse to tell him what he wanted, then the young man would not say anything.

"I'd rather you kill me then let me hang here while all the blood rushes to my head." Hitsugaya glared at him, "You know I won't talk."

"How is Momo these days?"

Small talk.

"Hinamori is none of your damn business."

"I should say that she is." Aizen smirked; he knew there was one weakness that the genius had. Momo Hinamori was the only side of Hitsugaya that Aizen knew he could rattle, "I am told that she makes a very good captain."

Toushirou glared at him, and then looked away.

"You're in love with her." Aizen brushed a piece of dark hair behind his ear, "I'm surprised that you didn't make a move on her by now."

"Hinamori doesn't love me."

The young man said it like an afterthought, like he had resigned to some fate long ago. Aizen could not help but pity the boy a little bit. He had known Hitsugaya since the ice-captain came to the Soul Society, and he had always been in love with Momo. Aizen took the topic of Momo Hinamori and put it in the back of his mind. It would probably be more effective later then to use some sort of physical torture.

Aizen stood and walked towards him.

"I'm sending an attack force to Karakura."

The captain frowned, "What?"

"I'm growing tired of the meager rebellious forces that are driving me back." he said, "Kurosaki Ichigo and his Vizard associates have been a headache for quite some time."

_Vizard?_, Hitsugaya gave him a confused look, "What is-"

He gasped as a strong hand shot out and closed around his neck.

"You're going to tell me what I want to know." Aizen murmured, "I will break a bone for every question you do not answer."

"Then I guess we're both losers here." Hitsugaya Toushirou could not help but chuckle, "Because I'm not going to tell you anything."

* * *

Momo sat up, staring at the dark wall in her room. What was that? It sounded like there was someone screaming in her mind. It was a familiar voice that she knew she had heard before. 

Looking back at the window, it was raining outside and it was dark.

There it was again.

The scream that she heard was so familiar that she almost felt a tug in her chest. Was it Aizen-sama? Was he hurt and dying somewhere? There was a knock at her door, and she went to go answer it, pulling a robe around herself.

"Yes?"

"Hinamori-taicho." the messenger told her, "There's been a development. You've been ordered to the main chambers right away."

"What's wrong?"

"The raid to Rukongai." he said, "Vice-Captain Matsumoto is missing and Captain Hitsugaya has been captured by the Arancar."

* * *

Ishida woke that next morning, and found himself gazing out of the window at the city outside. Kurosaki had already left that morning to school, it was last the day of the term and he was determined to have as much time as possible to kick the butts of his students before they all left for summer vacation. 

Getting up, he took a shower, dressed, and wandered downstairs. Yuzu had left breakfast out for him, and he heated it up before sitting at the table to eat it. Both of the girls were gone at school, but Ishida knew that Isshin was still home. He could sense the man's reiatsu as he came upstairs.

"Yo." Isshin looked at him, "You're a doctor, right?"

"Yes."

"You wanna lend a hand?" he said, "The shipment came in today and I can't be in two places at once."

Ishida nodded, finished his breakfast, and headed to the basement to help. On the train, Ichigo had informed him that his father had been a Shinigami. For some reason Ishida knew he should be surprised, even though he was not. It explained why Ichigo was so ungodly powerful.

He spent a few hours checking supplies and counting equipment. Ishida could understand how working at a small local clinic could be favorable over the district hospital. Once in a while someone would come in, but not any critical cases that needed surgery or anything extreme. At one point he found himself checking a young child for an ear infection as Isshin continued with the inventory.

Around the afternoon, he left. Ishida strolled down the street, not exactly sure why he was wandering around aimlessly on the streets in the first place. His feet seemed to carry him through the town to the old temple, where he took a seat on a stone bench in the courtyard.

He had no purpose in his life.

Letting out a sigh, he began debating with the idea of going to go see his father, and then decided against it. His father already knew he was back in town and would contact him if he felt like it. Leaning his head back, he stared at the sky.

God, he was pathetic.

Rubbing his eyes, he stood up again, and glanced around the courtyard. He could not sense any reiatsu signatures in the block, and when he was sure that no one was around, he unzipped his jacket and unhooked two of the white swords that were strapped to his chest on a holster.

_Zeele Scheinder_. It was the only reason why he ever learned to use a sword. As a Quincy, he was an archer by nature and generally stuck with what he was best suited for. However, the Scheinder swords offered a certain sort of agility that he never got with the spirit arrows. He would never mention it to Kurosaki's face that he was probably more experienced and talented with a blade then the Shinigami substitute was.

He hooked the blades on his fingers, and gracefully preformed the katas that he had so painstakingly learned from his father and grandfather. They had pounded the moves in his mind so much that he could not forget them even if he wanted to.

"Such a talented soul." a soft voice floated through his ears, "If you had been born a Shinigami instead, you would already be a captain."

He froze, turning around to see the familiar figure behind him. She sat on top of one of the tree branches in the courtyard, her head tilted slightly to the side. Ishida had no idea she was there, then again, she had always had a talent of masking her reiatsu.

Leaping down from the branch, she slowly walked over to him.

"Uryuu." she said, a soft smile touching her lips.

Ishida opened his mouth and then shut it. He felt a soft hand gently touch his face and turn him back to face her. The mere sound of her voice had it's own ability to stop his heart, but when she touched him all the memories that he had spent the last few years trying to forget flooded back into his mind. He could not stop himself from lifting a hand and laying it over hers.

"Nemu."

* * *

Ichigo tapped his pencil on the desk as the last student turned in their final. Staking all the finals together, he slipped them under his arm and headed towards the door. Ochi-sensei chuckled, 

"You look like someone put your dog in a blender."

Ichigo smirked at his old teacher, swinging his bag on his shoulder, "I guess you could say that."

"Anything to do with why you won't be teaching summer classes this year?"

He shrugged, "Maybe."

"Always the mystery man." she said, "Even when I was still your teacher."

Ichigo chuckled, "You are always my teacher."

"So polite." the older woman laughed, "Careful, Kurosaki-sensei, you know chicks dig that sort of thing."

He could not help but to laugh at her again as he head back to his office. The middle-aged woman put her hands on her hips,

"So."

"So?"

"So, where are you going this summer that means you're not going to be here slaving away like the rest of us?"

"I never take any vacation time and I need to take it before they cut the budget?"

"Nice try."

Ichigo slumped into his desk chair, "I need to tie up some loose ends that have been hanging over my head. I don't think I'll be able to move ahead in life till it's solved."

"Ah," she nodded, "It's a 'find yourself' sort of thing."

"I guess." he clipped his bag shut after shoving the papers in it. Standing, he began to head out of the doorway, locking his office behind him. Ochi-sensei watched as he walked nonchalantly down the hallway. She frowned,

"You'd better kick ass, Ichigo."

He stopped, and turned to her. Giving her a thumbs-up, she laughed and watched him disappear down the hall.

Tomorrow, he would be heading for the meeting with Hirako and the Seireitei.

* * *

Shinji was already waiting for the detective outside the station. Hansei yawned, scratching his head and not even trying to make an attempt to fix his appearance. 

"Damn it, Hansei." Shinji gave him a look of disdain, "You look like you slept in your office again."

"That's cuz I did." he gave another big yawn, "Some dumb case from Tokyo was sent here because there may be some link. Personally, I don't give a shit. Especially if they're just trying to dump their extra workload on me."

"Well, I guess life is tough all over." Shinji chuckled.

"Screw you." he righted his bent collar, "What's the deal, Hirako? I got work."

"I'm leaving tomorrow for the Soul Society. While I'm gone, there won't be anyone to watch the shop except for Hiyori."

"Hiyori-san is a big girl." Hansei snorted, "She's more powerful then I am anyway."

"True enough, but I just have a nagging feeling in the back of my head." he ruffled his blond hair, "Like something is going to happen when I'm not here. Hiyori says that I'm just paranoid, but I've learned that sometimes paranoid is safer."

"True enough. I've got your back, man."

"Thanks, my friend." Shinji clamped a hand on his shoulder, "I'll be back tomorrow even-"

"Muruguma-san!"

Both men turned to see Tatsuki Arisawa. She was dressed in regular clothes, having changed out of her karate uniform, and was waving at Hansei.

"Arisawa." the tall detective turned.

"I just got off work and figured that you slept in your office again. Want to grab a bite? I'll treat you."

He smiled, "In that case, how can I turn down such a generous offer?"

"Cool." she smiled.

"Wait here." he said, turning back to Shinji, who was now giving him a large smirk. A feeling of dread washed through Muruguma's mind, "What?"

Shinji elbowed him in the side, "She looks like a nice girl, Hansei."

"Shut up."

With a quick laugh, Shinji gave a brief wave, and headed back towards the bar. Tatsuki watched him curiously, one of her eyebrows rose in the air.

"He's quite the character."

"You have no idea."

* * *

Orihime sat at the dressing table, brushing her long hair. She had just emerged from the shower, and was getting ready for bed. They were finally giving her a few extra hours on her break, to make up for the long hours. More and more Arancar had been coming into her care lately, and her brief nights of rest were quickly shrinking down. Not only was this a severe dent on her spirit energy, but Tsubaki was complaining more about her not taking care of herself. 

The door promptly opened, and she let out an irritated sigh. At least she was done getting dressed.

"Don't you ever knock?"

"I live here too." Grimmjaw folded his arms and shut the door, "What the hell are you doing?"

"Going to sleep. I'm tired. You should try it. It would do wonders for your disposition."

"The guards tell me that you've been visiting that Shinigami bastard every day."

Here it goes.

She made it a duty to visit Hitsugaya Toushirou every day. The young man was alive, but not doing well in the environment of Hueco Mundo. The daily torturing probably had something to do with it. By healing him every day just to be tortured and wounded again, she knew that it was degrading to Hitsugaya's mind. In Shinigami years, he was not much younger then she was in human years, and she had no doubt that he would not forget this whole ordeal quickly.

"What's it to you?" she retorted.

Grimmjaw opened his mouth as if he meant to say something, and then shut it. Standing up from the table, she pulled back the covers of her large white bed, and climbed it. It was soft and warm and felt wonderful after a day of hard work. He strolled across the room and went to stare out the balcony window. She sighed, leaning against the pillows that were stacked against the headboard.

"There is going to be a raid tomorrow."

Orihime opened her eyes, "Is that right?"

"In Karakura."

She immediately sat up, looking at him in shock.

"That is all I can tell you." he said, "If I tell you any more, then Aizen-sama will kill me for disobeying him."

Looking at the floor, her hands clenched the sheets in her lap.

"Wh-What..." she shook her head, "Why are you telling me this?"

"Because I felt like it." he said, "If I see Kurosaki, I will kill him."

"I know."

"If I fight him, either I will die or he will."

She gritted her teeth, "I said I know-"

He moved across the room before she had a chance to finish her sentence. His lips moved over hers, tilted her head back gently in his arms. It was different then the sort of kiss he usually gave her. As he pulled away, he leaned forward and murmured something into her ear. Her eyes grew wide as he spoke,

"You..." she shook her head, "...wait, Grimmjaw-"

He raised his right hand and promptly knocked her out. Orihime's light form sunk forward into his arms, and he simply held her a moment, her head resting against his shoulder. His fingers ran absently through her hair a moment before he set her on to the pillows and covers her with the sheets.

What he had just told her...he would never repeat to anyone.

Leaving her room without a backwards look, he headed towards the training center. Tomorrow he was being dispatched to Karakura to finally take on the head of the rebel forces. He would fight Kurosaki and he would either live or die, and decide what his fate was supposed to turn into.

* * *

The sun was just rising over the edge of the windowsill as Hiyori sat up and stretched her arms. The shower just turned off down the hall, Shinji had gotten up before her for once. Pulling the sheets back, she opened the door as he wandered out of the shower. 

"Oh, you're up." he said, "I hope I didn't wake you."

"You should have woken me earlier. I could have had breakfast ready."

"Its fine." he gave her a smile, "I wanted to let you sleep a little more."

"Shinji?"

He let go of the doorknob that he had began to turn. Hiyori walked towards him, and grabbed the sleeve of his robe.

"Careful, Shinji." she said, "Be careful of the Shinigami. You know how they are. Stuck-up, lying, conceited-"

"I know." he nodded, "You know me, though. I'll be able to deal with it."

"But-"

He raised a finger and touched her lips, "You are the one that needs to watch out. I won't be here to protect you. If there's an attack, you'll be alone."

She made a face, "That's a joke, right?"

Hirako chuckled; it was a strange thing to say. Hiyori was one of the most powerful Vizards to ever exist. She could probably take on two or three Shinigami captains at once and still hold her own.

"I'm not some fragile princess." she said, breaking off into the normal tomboyish behavior that she resorted too, "I don't break if someone taps me-"

She yelped as he reached forward and pulled her into his arms. Struggling for a moment, his grip grew tighter around her.

"Hirako-"

He let go of her, "Go make some tea. I'll be down in a moment."

Disappearing into his room, she stared at his door for a second, and then let out a sigh as she headed downstairs.

When he came back downstairs, they sat and ate breakfast in silence. Kurosaki arrived fifteen minutes after that, and she silently watch Shinji tie his shoes, berating him about various things. When he reached in the closet and strapped his zanpakuto around his waist, she did not miss the worried glance he gave her for a moment.

Then he was gone.

* * *

_Yay! This story hit chapter 10. I honestly didn't think it would get this far, but I'm glad that it's turned out the way it did. I have it pretty much planned out now, but I can't tell you exactly how long it's going to be. My guess it there will be around 20 chapters, give or take one or two. _

_ Thanks for reading. Send me a review and tell me what you think :D_

_Arigato_

_Lilith_


	11. Chapter 11

_Here's the next chapter. Thanks for being patient! Just to warn you ahead, there is a lemon in the chapter. You have been warned. This is really the beginning of a few turning point chapters, so I hope you enjoy it :D  
_

_Thank you to **gmsephiroth** for the beta!_

_Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach_

* * *

Hiyori Sarugaki was generally a patient person. 

That is, when everyone else was not being dumb and irrational.

She wandered about the club, cleaning the table tops once more as the main floor and the cafe on the upper level opened. The morning crowd that came in for breakfast were already waiting outside. There were a few regulars, they were non-Shinigami Karakura citizens, that only helped to solidify her opinion that the human race functioned only after having a cup of coffee. If something happened to the world's coffee supply, Hiyori was convinced that at this point, that would be more dangerous and harmful then any Arancar invasion.

"Kare!" she leaned back through the split door of the employee entrance to the kitchen. It was a door that could be half closed while the upper half was open, "I need coffee!"

"Coming up, Sarugaki-kun!" he called, returning to his duties in the kitchen. Kare was a nice, middle-aged man whose wife often sent her and Shinji cookies and other pastries. She was a chef down at the local bakery, and liked giving the extras to her and Shinji at the end of the day to make sure nothing was wasted. Shinji was now addicted to Karakura's scones, and refused to eat any from the regular store.

It was quiet without Shinji.

Strangely enough, as thrilled as she was by not being the one that had to go to the Soul Society, it was rare that she and Shinji were not together for more then a few hours. They shared an apartment, worked at the same place, grew up in the same neighborhood, and had both been drafted into the Shinigami academy at one point.

That had been an unpleasant memory that she really preferred not to remember. Shinigami were stuck-up bastards, and her few months at the academy back in the middle of junior high only proved this point more so. Hiyori was grateful for not having to go, but she would have been lying if she said she was totally happy with Shinji going instead.

Serving coffee to the new customers, she walked through the cafe towards the back closet. Opening it, she replaced the cleaning rags that she had been using. The closet was also where she and Shinji kept their things while they worked. Her jacket, as well as her zanpakuto were in there. Reaching forward she gently touched the end of the sword. It was restless like she was restless.

"I know, I know. I'm an idiot." she said out loud before shutting the door. As she turned back towards the main floor, she stopped.

_What..._

There was an huge reiatsu pressure not too far away, and it was moving fast in her direction. The air was suddenly so heavy that it was impossible not to notice. Someone in the cafe set down their cup and stared at the person they were with saying, "...does something feel off to you?..."

Something did feel off.

"Saguraki-kun!" Kare called, "The coffee is ready-"

"One sec, Kare, I need to go outside to check something." she said, rushing towards the door. There was no way it could be _them_, it was too early. It was always a possibility that they had specifically waited for this moment. The moment when Kurosaki and Shinji left the city giving them a slight advantage.

She yanked the back doors open and began to scan the sky.

No cracks.

"Shit." she cursed, running around the edge of the building. It was then that she saw it. The huge crack in the sky and that supported the feelings from her senses.

The Arancar had arrived.

* * *

Shinji yawned as he stepped out of the porthole, staring at the pale sky of the Seireitei. He then sneezed, "This place gives me allergies." 

"Don't give me that look, I'm not that big of a fan of it either." Ichigo replied, heading in the direction of the main complex, "We were supposed to be greeted here."

"I hope they didn't send anyone dumb. I've had more then enough stuck-up Shinigami to deal with in my lifetime, thank you."

"Why are you so critical on Shinigami?"

Hirako stopped, "What do you mean?"

"You sound like Ishida, except I know his excuse. I would hate Shinigami too if they murdered all my people. But you and Sarugaki I don't get."

"It's a long story and one that is meant to be told with a bottle of sake." Hirako replied, and that was the end of the conversation. Ichigo opened his mouth to question him further, and then decided not to.

"I can have that bottle of sake arranged if you wish."

Ichigo smiled, and they both turned around to see the familiar face of Ukitake Jyuushiro heading towards them.

"Ukitake-san." Ichigo headed towards him.

"It has been a while, Kurosaki-san." Ukitake shook his hand, "How is the education business going?"

"Well enough."

"You'd better watch it, Kurosaki, or the Academy professors might start hitting you up for jobs."

"No thanks." he said, "This is Hirako Shinji. Hirako, this is-"

"Ukitake-taicho." Hirako finished Ichigo's sentence, "I've only met you once."

Ukitake seemed to regard the Vizard with a certain uneasiness for a moment, and then shook Shinji's hand as well.

"How is your companion, Hirako-san?"

Shinji stared at him, and then frowned, "Well enough." he said, "Well, gentlemen, I have many pressing matters. Let's go get this over with."

Walking past the white-haired captain, Hirako headed towards the Soul Society. Ichigo sighed, that was better then what he thought would happen. Seeing the strange look on Ukitake's face did not give him much confidence either.

"Ichigo."

He turned his attention to Ukitake, "Hm?"

"There has been a development, it is a good thing that you were coming today."

"What's wrong?" Ichigo frowned.

"Hueco Mundo has invaded the Rukongai, and two days ago we sent forces out to counter it. However..." he sighed, "...we have not heard any word from the commanding officers. Rukia, Abarai-kun, Matsumoto-kun, and Hitsugaya-taicho are all missing."

"Damn it." Ichigo swore as he began heading towards the building as well. Shinji was getting somewhat ahead, and he did not want to take his eyes off the Vizard for a second. There was not telling what would happen if he turned Hirako loose in the Seireitei, "After the meeting, I'll go track them."

"Alone? I do not believe that is wise."

"It's all we can do for now. With my Bankai form I can work faster by myself and cover more ground without having to worry about leaving anyone behind."

"There's no telling what has happened to them now, Ichigo." he said, "The information also said that Ichimaru would be there."

Ichigo sighed, he had only been awake four hours that day and it was already looked like it would be one of _those_ days.

* * *

They were still be tracked by the Arancar. 

Renji stood at the head of the trail of people. He closed his eyes a moment, and his senses swept through the area. There was a big group of upper-level Arancar chasing after them. If they did not find somewhere to hide soon they would be in trouble.

"Vice-Captain!" the scout landed next to him, "There are underground caves in the ravine up ahead."

"Good." Renji sighed, maybe they would be able to hide in the ravine for a while, the Arancar would stop tracking them. He would be able to cover the reiatsu trail for a little while, even though it would seriously tap his own energy.

"Renji." Rukia was heading towards him, "We've been walking for almost twelve hours straight. It may be the best option we have now."

He nodded, and turned back to the other Shinigami to give them orders. Ever since the little incident back by the village, Rukia had only spoken to him when it was needed, which basically meant that she was ignoring him most of the time. The only excuses that he could think up where she either hated him, she was upset about it because of her upcoming marriage, or that she was actually really embarrassed about it. He hoped it was the last one, that was something he could work with.

She was confusing the hell out of him.

After being together with her for so long, he had just gotten used to having her around him. The thought of having her belong to someone else turned his stomach. About half-way through the trip, he had promised himself that if they got back alive he would march straight into Kuchiki-taicho's office and demand that the engagement be canceled.

That is, if they got back alive. The odds were decreasing as they got further into the woods.

"Renji?" Rukia called him, "I'm going to head off and begin putting up wards in the area."

"Good." he said, "I need some time to myself. It's hard to block reiatsu signatures if I'm being distracted."

She frowned, "Blocking reiatsu? That's going to take most of your-"

"They are too close. I have to do it." he said, "Take care of things here. I'll be back shortly."

With that, he bounded off into the forest. The moment he left, she let out a sigh and headed off to help the people back to the caves. They were deep caves, buried deep into the rock face. With appropriate spells, they would be able to hide the entrance of the cave so anyone inside would see out but no one could see in. It was a trick they learned in the Academy by combining some various Kidou spells.

Renji was beating himself up on the whole trip. Beginning the highest-ranking officer, he had barely slept or ate the entire time. Rukia was beginning to worry about him. Even if they were beings of spirit energy, they were still mortals.

It took a few hours to situate the people and to set up the wards. Renji returned soon after, exhausted and out of breath. Giving a few orders to the scouts, he retreated to the back of the cave to get some sleep. Walking into the cave, her eyes scanned the area. People were sleeping, cooking meals, there were young children playing, people talking quietly...but even with the relaxed atmosphere, there was still a slight degree of stress in the air. Frowning to herself, she walked through the crowd looking for Renji.

There was no way she was going to let him be alone to wallow in his own self-pity. After all, his self confidence was something that she loved about him.

* * *

Renji had laid out a few blankets in one far corner of the cave. He had his arms folded under his head, and he stared intently at the ceiling, lost in his thoughts. Although, as far gone as he was in his daydreaming, he was not gone enough to miss her presence. Ever since he was younger, he always had this habit of liking to sleep towards walls or corners. Sleeping in the middle of the room left him too vulnerable to would-be attackers. 

"Rukia."

Rukia stared at him a moment, and then slipped her sword off her waist. Sitting Shirayuki against the cave wall next to Zabimaru, she then took off her cloak and folded it neatly on the floor. Renji watched her with curious eyes, wondering what it was she was doing.

She sat neatly next to his make-shift bedside, staring down at him. They could hear the quiet rumble of the people further down the cave, and the rumble of the storm overhead.

"Is everyone alright?" he asked.

She nodded, "Everyone is fine. I just got off my watch shift."

Renji nodded back to her, closing his eyes. God, he was tired. Wandering through Rukoungai for three days straight, fighting Hollows and Arrancar were starting to take a toll on him. All he wanted to do was curl up and sleep for a week. Sure, as Kuchiki Byakuya's vice-captain, Byakuya often worked him into the ground with paperwork and other things...but this was a different sort of tired. It was the tired that seemed to seep into the center of his being.

His soul was tired.

"You look exhausted." Rukia spoke.

"So do you."

There was a pause between them. It was too hard for him, to lay there while she stared at him. If she was not going to do anything, she should just go away. He really was not in the mood, nor did he have the energy, to deal with her.

"Look, if you don't have anything else to say Rukia-"

Leaning over, she pressed her lips to his. His heart skipped a beat in his chest as his eyes slid closed again. Her smooth hands gently touched the sides of his face. Slowly pulling her face from his, he watched her face to see what she was going to do next. There were tears in the corners of her eyes,

"Renji...I'm sorry."

"Stop apologizing." he framed his hands over her face and pressed his lips to hers. Pulling her down beside him, he grabbed the edge of the blanket and pulled it over both of them. Under the blanket, he rolled on top of her, looking down at her surprised face.

"Renji-"

"Shh." he whispered, pulling the sash off her waist. Her kimono fell open, and he pressed his lips to the inside of her neck. Her arms wrapped around him, clinging to him as if she was going to fall off a cliff if she let go, "If anyone hears we'll get in trouble."

He trailed his mouth down to her collarbone, slowly pulling her kimono over her shouders, "Then I guess no one will hear." he said as a smirk spread across his face.

* * *

_She felt him brush his lips over her ears, "If Kurosaki were to die, would there ever be a chance that you could love me instead?"_

She gasped, sitting up as if she had been electrocuted. Looking around her room, she quickly dressed into her uniform. Tak rushed down the hallway,

"Mistress!" the young girl approached her, "I was just about to come get you! Wounded are just beginning to be sent back from the assault force at Rukongai. There is a slight jam at the spirit gate, however, and the medics are having difficulty bringing back some of the more severe cases."

Orihime was already making her way down the hallway to the large hall that contained the spirit gate. It was built from stone and metal, not much different from the one that she first used at Urahara's shop to get to the Soul Society, except this one was much more powerful and much bigger.

"How many are supposed to come through?"

"About fifty." Tak sighed, "And Gin-sama was also lost. It's possible that he was killed."

Orihime frowned, "What about the strike force to Karakura?"

"They left not an hour ago, Orihime-sama."

This was her chance, probably the only chance she would ever get. The opportunity was waving itself in front of her face like waving a plate of food in front of a starving man. What was she supposed to do now? If she left, Aizen would surely take no heed in killing everyone that she knew.

She was trapped.

"Mistress?"

"Tak-" she said, "-begin organizing the infirmary to take on the injured. Also prep for the possibility of wounded from the Karakura strike force."

"Right away, Mistress." she said turning to leave, she then stopped, and noticed that Orihime had not moved from her spot. The brown-haired woman simply stared at the open gate to the Seireitei. Tak opened her mouth, and then shut it, she said, "Are you coming, Orihime-sama?"

"Give me a moment, Tak."

"Of course." Tak gave her an uneasy look, and then disappeared.

Orihime stared at it.

She could go. No one would stop her.

Then everyone would die.

The white walls of the gate room seemed to close in on her. She was tired, tired of being ripped to shreds in the hell of Hueco Mundo. All the bad memories, all the wounded bodies and hearts, all the lost dreams...what were they all for?

_If Kurosaki died, would you be able to love me instead?_

Gritting her teeth, she ran out of the room in the direction of the brig.

She knew what she had to do, and she had to do it. It was a matter of pride, and that was something that her family and friends would be able to understand.

"That's the idea, stupid. Keep running." Tsubaki's voice echoed in her ears. He sound critical as always, but she could tell he was smiling, "Don't stop."

* * *

Aizen was going to learn what happened when you messed with someone who had the power of the gods. 

He pressed his face into his shoulder as he moved. Turning her head to the side, she could see the line of sweat over the muscles on his arms. Her eyes sunk closed again as he dug the fingers on his other hand into her hair, pulling her head back. He sucked on the side of her jaw, dragging his lips over hers. Her short, but strong legs wrapped around his waist, letting him in as deep as he could. Moving an arm to circle around her waist he found himself pulling his head up slightly to look at her.

"...Renji." she breathed into his lips.

"Look at me, Rukia."

Her eyes slowly opened, and he smiled, resting his forehead on hers. Kissing her gently, she moved slightly so he rested more comfortably on top of her. Some of his hair was sticking to his forehead, and she smoothed her hands over his face to clear the hair from his eyes.

"If my brother ever finds out about this..." she whispered, kissing the side of his face, trailing down towards his jawline, "...he'd be livid..."

Renji chuckled tiredly to himself, "Then I guess we won't tell him, hm? He's smart, he'll find out on his own." a satisfied smile spread across his face as he heard her breath catch in her throat as he moved once more, a hand running down her side and tucking under her leg to pull it higher on his waist. Her eyes drifted closed, _how could he carry on a conversation while doing...what he was doing?_

She stared at him, and a smile slowly crept across her face. Even though it was pitch dark around them, so much so that he could barely see the hand in front of his face, he knew she was smiling at him.

Resting his face into her shoulder, she could feel him slowly beginning to relax. Wrapping her arms around his head, she pulled him down to rest on top of her.

"Sleep, Renji."

"But-"

Renji had spent the last three days protecting her and a couple dozen other people. Fighting Hollows and other manner of creatures, as well as speanding his energy to erase every trace of reiatsu to protect everyone, he was probably more exhausted then everyone else was. She smiled, laying her cheek on top of his head.

"Rest, you're exhausted." she said, "Don't worry, I won't go anywhere."

He could feel his eyes sinking close, "...promise?"

She nodded her head, "Promise."

* * *

He could smell the cool air of the morning dawn. 

Lifting his head slowly, there was a little light coming out of the top of the blanket over them. Laying on Rukia's chest, cradled comfortably in her legs, he rested his head on her shoulder. The others were still asleep, so he didn't need to get up yet. Her fingers were threaded into his red hair, which sprawled around his shoulders. He felt her move under him, and she pressed a kiss to the top of his head.

"You still asleep?" she whispered.

"Yeah." he murmured back.

"We should probably get up soon." she said, "Before someone catches us."

"Mmm." he wrapped his arms around her, burying his face in her neck, "I don't wanna."

God, he loved her. In any other circumstances, he would steal her away for a week and they could do whatever they wanted. Feeling her arms wrapped around him, he heaved a sigh.

"When this is all over, we're getting away from this place for a couple of weeks. No one around but us and the trees." he said, his gently kissed her lips, "Don't count on getting any sleep though."

She chuckled softly, "Work first, Abarai."

"Aw...killjoy." he smirked. His face was still pressed into her neck, and as he looked up at her, she gently kissed him. Watching him for a moment, she slid out of the blankets. He lay still, watching her silhouette outside of the covers. Slowly pulling the edge back, she was brushing her hair out of the collar of her kimono.

"Rukia-" he suddenly stared at her, a serious look in his eyes, "Do you love me?"

"I'm going to go check the others and get brief on what the patrol has picked up in the last five hours."

"Rukia."

She turned around to look at him, but she didn't say anything. Smiling as she picked up Shirayuki and replaced it at her side.

"Get some sleep, Renji."

He watched her walk off down the cave to check on the patrol unit and the civilians. Letting out a sigh, he leaned back on his arms.

What the hell did she want from him anyway?

* * *

Hitsugaya groaned as he felt someone yank him off the floor. After returning from his last 'session' he still had not been healed, and all he wanted to do at the moment was sleep and not think about how pathetic he was. 

"Damn it, I just want to sleep. Get the hell out of my cell-"

"Toushirou-san, it's me."

He stared into a set of desperate, alarmed eyes. It was the most emotion he had ever seen in Orihime Inoue's eyes since arriving at Las Noches. Whatever had happened to her over the years, it had turned her into some sort of lifeless doll. It was like she had completely shut off her emotions in order to work for Aizen.

"...What are you doing?" he murmured, trying to clear his head. He could barely breathe, and he was pretty sure that one of his cracked ribs had punctured a lung. There was the taste of blood on the tip of his tongue, and he rubbed a sleeve over his lips. There was a slight tint of red on it.

She grabbed his arm and pulled him to his feet, "We don't have much time until the guards return. We need to hurry."

"Hurry?" he frowned, "Inoue-"

"We're getting out of here." she replied, "We're escaping."

* * *

_I apologize for the late update. I could have put it in a couple days ago, but I've been having really bad week. Thanks for waiting, and I hope you liked it!_

_Send a review and tell me what you think!_

_Arigato_

_Lilith _


	12. Chapter 12

_Here's the next update. Yay for **NobleAngel015** for the 100th review!_

_Thanks again to **gmsephiroth** for the great beta. You rock!_

_Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach_

* * *

Tak was not a moron.

Before Orihime Inoue had come to reside at Hueco Mundo, Tak was in training to become the head of the medical facility. However, because of Orihime's talents and strong powers, Tak was forced to give up her position to Orihime. At first, she detested the spunky, bubbly girl. When she arrived at the healing complex, Orihime used to always find an excuse to berate anyone who was rude, she demanded cooperation, and joked around with the assistants. How could a girl like that become the head of the medical department?

It was two years ago that Tak had realized that she actually thought of the woman as a friend. After getting to know Orihime for so long, Tak was not stupid enough to know that Orihime would not try to escape eventually.

Standing in the vacant office of Orihime Inoue, listening to the shuffling outside, she knew she had two choices. She could let Orihime run off with the prisoner, or she could inform Aizen.

Orihime or Aizen.

Gritting her teeth, she swore and left the office.

* * *

Orihime dragged the half-conscious form of Hitsugaya Toushirou down the hall. He clung to her shoulder, memorizing the route they were traveling in case they needed to find an escape route. From what he saw, however, Orihime knew where she was going. Pulling him into the gate room, she gasped.

"Hey!" one of the Arancar yelled, "What are you doing with the prisoner?!"

The guards were back. She felt Hitsugaya's grip tighten on her, he was in no condition to even stand let alone fight them. Before the Arancar guards reached them, she raised her hand to her forehead, ready to call on Tsubaki and the others if need be. As she opened her mouth to utter the incantations, a white blur shot past her and the figure raised it's hand and stuck an arm through the chest of one of the guards. Pulling back her arm, she tripped the second guard, and promptly broke his neck.

Orihime gaped at Tak, "Why?"

"Orihime-sama." Tak smiled at her, "You were the first person to not treat all Arancars like they are barbaric animals. For that I will always consider you my best friend." she glanced at Hitsugaya, "If any of you Shinigami bastards mistreat Orihime-sama, I'll make sure to heal every one of our troops and destroy your pathetic world."

Shirou chuckled, "I'll keep that in mind."

"Now go." Tak stepped aside, "I can heal them and erase their memories. I'll just tell them that the prisoner escaped, and that Orihime-sama went after wounded that were unable to return-"

Orihime hugged her, "Thank you."

With those words, Tak watched as the two figures disappeared into the gate.

_No. Thank you, Orihime-sama._

* * *

Renji glanced around the forest, he frowned. They were pretty close to the Seireitei, there was not much time left before they reached one of the gates. Turning to see all the refugees behind him, he was glad that everyone was alright. All little ragged and tired, but alive and well.

Damn, he would be glad to be back home.

Turning to give a few orders to his men, he heard a scream. His eyes grew wide as he suddenly realized what was going on. They were surrounded by Arancar, he could sense their reiatsu everywhere. Had they been hiding? He had been so exhausted for spending most of yesterday trying to hide everyone else's energy signals that his spirit energy was lower then normal.

"Renji!" Rukia was running towards him, "The Arancar-"

"We need to hurry!" he yelled, "Run!"

* * *

Shinji sat on the floor of the conference room, a cup of tea sitting on the low table in front of him. Ichigo leaned on the doorway to the room, and waited for Yamato to arrive. It had been decided that the head of the Gotei 13 himself would come and chat with Hirako.

Ichigo was restless. Renji and Rukia were in danger, along with many other innocent people. He gritted his teeth, _Hirako would be fine._

Ukitake was standing at the end of the hall as Ichigo went to leave. Giving him an uneasy look, Ukitake stepped aside, "I'll take care of the meeting."

Nodding slowly, and leaping off the edge of the porch, and transformed into his bankai form. In a flash of light, he disappeared from sight. Racing over the walls of Seireitei at light speed, he dove into the trees, praying that he would be able to make it in time.

* * *

"Renji-"

"We're probably not going to make it out of here alive." he drew his sword part-way to check Zabimaru, closing it quickly, "Damn, if we were only able to hold out for a little while-"

Rukia listened to him ramble on and curse. They were pulling people into a trench that was carved into the field by and extinct river, something that was left over from ancient times. There was no doubt in her mind that they had a high possibility of not making it back to the Soul Society.

They were going to die. She had to tell him the truth or risk regretting it for the rest of her life.

Rukia grabbed his collar, turning him towards her, she kissed him. Slowly pulling her lips away, Rukia smiled at him.

"I love you, Renji."

His mouth dropped open, and then he frowned.

"On second thought...we're making it out of here alive." he said, "Don't think you can say things like that and think you can just die on me, Rukia."

"I know."

"You don't say something like that unless you mean it."

A smile spread across her face,

"I know."

Renji gazed back at her, and then smiled,

"I love you too."

They watched the Arancar coming towards them, and they got ready to race over the hill. Just as they were about to move, a black streak shot past them and slammed into the enemy forces. Ichigo landed in front of them.

"Ichigo!" Renji yelled, "Where the hell have you been?"

Ichigo smirked, and he ran towards the army, "Get the people out of here! I'll handle this!"

He gripped the sword tightly in his hand, trying to ward off three Arancar at once. Even he would have great difficulty trying to take on all of them at once. Renji and Rukia were already working on another part of the battle while the other Shinigami soldiers guided the people back to the Soul Society.

There was a crack in the sky.

"Shit." he cursed, they were calling for reinforcements. Without high level shunpo, they would not get back-up from the city for the next twenty minutes at the least. As he plunged the sword through his enemy, racing around the field to avoid random attacks from other opponents, he began to feel and strange, yet familiar energy. It was coming through the gate, and he glanced towards it to try and figure out what it was.

It felt human.

Ichigo yelped as an energy blast hit him, throwing him into the ground. Rukia gasped, as she watched a couple of Arancar race towards him.

"Ichigo!"

He raised his arms to protect himself from the oncoming attack as the crack in the dimension fully opened.

"_Koten Zanshun, I repel thee_!"

He was surrounded with a flash of light.

* * *

"The existence of you and your Vizard allies are sealed in confidential records." Yamato spoke, "That incident from long ago taught us not to trust your kind."

Shinji smirked, "It was not our fault, Yamato-san, and I did not come here to argue about the past."

"_That _past that you do not want to talk about destroyed a big chunk of our city."

"That's also the past where a squadron of your Shinigami subordinates almost beat Hiyori until she was half dead." there was a silence in the room, and Hirako sighed, "My associates and I are willing to put aside the past for a greater good. I have more efficient ways of gathering information on Aizen then the Seireitei does."

"How so?"

Shinji smirked, "I'm afraid I can't tell you, trade secret and all that."

Yamato frowned, "Very well."

"We can also get through the gates of Hueco Mundo without being detected. Our Hollow DNA allows us to be read as Arancar if we mask our reiatsu the right way. It would be easy to get a force into the gates, but we don't possess the numbers that you do." Shinji continued, "We could infiltrate the gates and make way for your forces to get in."

Yamato seemed to think a moment. Ukitake, who was sitting in one corner of the room stood up, "It would give us a very large advantage over them, sir."

"I'm aware of that." the first-captain replied, turning slowly back to the Vaizard leader, "You make a good point."

"Of course I do." Shinji chuckled, "I would not bother coming all this way and waste everyone's time if it wasn't a legitimate request. My people are in as much danger as yours are, and I put the entire city of Karakura in danger every moment I am not there. Kurosaki would agree on those terms as well."

Giving the old man a smile, Shinji took a sip of the tea in front of him.

"Hirako Shinji." Yamato picked up his tea, "You have yourself a deal."

"Ah, now that is something I can drink too."

They drank to it.

* * *

"_Koten Zanshun, I repel thee_!"

The pale energy beam shot out of the gate and slammed into the Arancar that was attacking Ichigo. As the energy faded, they turned to see a figure stepping out of the gate. Whoever it was, their reiatsu was massive. Not necessarily more powerful, but massive.

Then he saw her.

_No way._

Orihime pulled Hitsugaya back up onto her shoulder as Tsubaki returned to her hairpins. The three Shinigami stared at her in horror as she stepped onto the sands of the Seireitei. Looking at all of them, she gave a small smile.

"Hitsugaya-san needs medical attention right away." she said, "I healed the more major wounds, but I didn't have enough energy to heal the rest."

There was no fanfare, or any horns blasting music away to announce her return. She did not laugh, greet them all, or make any sort of reply. It was like she was greeting him on the way back from the grocery store, and they saw each other every day. Ichigo could barely move, watching her stand in front of the porthole to Hueco Mundo, holding a young man onto her shoulder.

Hitsugaya Toushirou.

"Hitsugaya-taicho!" Rukia raced towards the two people that had just stepped through the barrier.

Renji hoisted Toushirou up onto his back. He still did not say a thing, unable to think of anything that he could say to Inoue. Rukia opened her mouth to say something, and then shut it. Orihime glanced past them, catching Ichigo's glance.

He had a look on his face that she had never seen before. It seemed like a mix of alarm, shock, and sorrow. He took a step towards her, and she pulled her thoughts back together. What the hell was she thinking? Coming back had been a mistake, she had to get back before anyone caught her.

She had to leave. Now.

"Please excuse me. I need to return before the gate closes." she said, bowing quickly, "See ya."

"Inoue!" Rukia called after her as Orihime turned away from them, "Wait!"

Just as Renji reached forward to trying and catch her, a black streak shot past them. Ichigo appeared in front of Orihime.

"Kurosaki-kun." she stared at him. He had not changed much in the five years she had been away. Maybe he was a little taller, a little thinner, and more powerful then in the past. Looking quickly at the porthole, she only had seconds until it closed. Trying to get past him, "I have to get back. I just came to return Hitsugaya-kun."

What the hell was wrong with her? She came back and now she was leaving again?

"No."

She looked up into his eyes, he was dead serious. Struggling slightly to try and pull back, she found that he had a strong hold on her arms before she could notice.

"Kurosaki-kun, let go." the gate was beginning to close, "The gate-"

"I'm not letting you go back."

She gasped, this was bad. Orihime knew that Ichigo was stubborn, and she should have expected something like this.

"Let me go!"

"No!"

Violently thrashing in his arms, she managed to tear herself away.

It was too late.

The gate closed before she could reach it. The moment it disappeared, she shivered. Aizen would be furious, he would come and find her and kill everyone in his path. Her hands were trembling as she covered her mouth. There would be nothing to save her friends and family from the wrath of Aizen Sousuke.

Including Kurosaki Ichigo.

"No." she whispered, her knees beginning to collapse under her. Days of overtaxing her energy, not sleeping or eating were catching up to her. "No...what have I done..."

Ichigo raced forward, catching her in his arms as she sunk to her knees. She was trembling, but from lack of energy or from fright, neither of them could tell. It was not until she pressed her face into his chest that she realized who was really holding her.

"Kurosaki-kun..."

"It's okay." he told her, "I've got you."

* * *

Hinamori raced down the hallway, heading towards the medical building. Giving orders on the way, she was put in charge of the refugees. Her officers would follow every one of her orders to the letter, but that was not what was on her mind.

They had found Shirou-kun.

Navigating her way through the crowd, the wounded were still being brought in by medical personal. Kiyone was waiting at the top of the stairs for her, and lead her down the hallway.

"How is he?" Hinamori asked.

"He's in bad shape. Almost all of his reiatsu is gone, there's barely enough to keep his heart beating." she said, "Unohana-taicho has sent him on life support, but he is awake."

The doors to the room burst open, and Momo gasped.

He was covered with dirt-covered, blood soaked bandages that the team were trying to remove from him. One of his hands rest on the outside of the hospital bed, and blood slowly dripped from his fingers. Pulling it back to rest on the edge, Unohana returned to shouting orders to her team.

The moment Hinamori entered the room, his eyes opened.

"Hina..."

"Shirou!"

She ran forward, and stood at his side, gripping his bloody hand in between her own. He was so pale and weak, it was hard to think that this was the same person who was one of the most powerful Shinigami in the Soul Society.

"Aizen..." Toushirou gave her a weak smile under the clear oxygen mask on his face, "...I didn't kill him."

"Huh?"

"I could have." he whispered to her, "I had opportunities...to...try..."

Tears spilled over her eyes as she rest her forehead onto his hand, "You stupid..."

"No more talking!" Unohana ordered, "Hinamori-taicho, please wait in the hall."

"But-"

Kiyone pulled her out before she could finish her protesting. Standing in the hallway, Kiyone returned to Hitsugaya's room. Turning back to her original task, she tugged on Unohana's sleeve.

"Taicho." she murmured, "We have a development."

* * *

Momo sunk into a chair, and burst into tears.

_Please...Shirou-kun...don't kill Aizen-taicho..._

_Aizen...I didn't kill him...I could have..._

She was the one being stupid.

* * *

Ichigo sat in the hallway. Shinji was still in the meeting with Yamato, and having to report back to his superiors, Renji had left Rukia with Ichigo in the hallway. Truth be told, Rukia considered Inoue one of her best friends, she could not bring herself to leave Inoue alone.

When the door opened, Unohana let out a sigh. Ichigo stood up, "How is she?"

"Physically, she is exhausted, overtaxed, and it has been difficult for her to adjust to this environment apart from that of Hueco Mundo." she said, "Mentally..." there was a sad look in her eyes, "I...don't know what I can tell you. I must report to the administration right away and try to figure out what to do. For now, she will have to remain here. There will a guard posted outside of her room."

"Is that necessary?" he frowned.

"We can not take any risks, Kurosaki-san. Whether she was a former ally or not, we must be cautious."

"Can I see her?"

Unohana nodded, and Ichigo disappeared into the room, shutting the door behind him. Rukia glanced up at the medical captain, "Unohana-taicho, what is it? Did you read her memories?"

"I did." Unohana nodded, "Poor girl, I can't begin to imagine what she's gone through."

"What do you mean?"

"Orihime Inoue did not defect to Aizen Sousuke's side." the elder woman said sadly, "He threatened to kill everyone she knew if she did not go. The administration will take this into account when deciding what to do with her."

"What happens if they rule against her?"

Unohana was silent a moment, "She will be executed."

* * *

_There will probably be one more update, and then a week break. Anime Detour is on March 23rd, and I have too many things I need to get ready for. But I will be back right after that. Good luck to everyone taking mid-terms, keep safe for those on spring break, and have fun if you are planning on going to Detour! I know it'll be awesome._

_Arigato_

_Lilith_


	13. Chapter 13

_Hey everyone! Here's chapter 13. It's sort of a transition chapter to the next chapter. I wasn't really all that happy with it, but it turned out okay in the end._

_Thanks to **gmsephiroth** for the beta:D_

_Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach _

* * *

Rangiku groaned, her head hurt. It felt almost like she had a really bad hangover, which did not surprise her. Considering the amount of alcohol that she drank, she was surprised that she had not keeled over by now. Despite the fact that she was a spirit being that really could not die from something like that. 

When she opened her eyes, they burned slightly in the sunlight. Rangiku touched the bandages that were wrapped around her forehead. Her wounded shoulder was also wrapped, as well as her left ankle. After examining herself, she adverted her attention to her surroundings.

Where was this place?

It looked almost like the house she used to live in when she was young and lived in Rukongai. The hut in the middle of the woods was not the greatest place to live, but there were times that she missed it.

That was when she lived with Gin.

_...because I wanted to..._

"Gin!" she gasped, sitting up quickly. Finding instantly that this was a mistake, she covered her face in her hands. Shit, her body hurt all over...

"Careful there." a voice came from the doorway, "The river did a number on ya."

She gasped, turning towards the source of the voice. Leaning on the doorway, wearing a blue kimono much like the other civilians typically did in the area, was Gin.

Rangiku was speechless.

"Be careful, don' sit up too quickly." he approached her, "Your concussion was pretty bad-"

She drew back from him, "Don't touch me."

Gin frowned, and then sat on the edge of the floor, "That's a great way to thank someone for savin' yer life."

"Why'd you do it?" Rangiku backed away all the way to the wall, "What are you doing here? If you think I'll go with you to Hueco Mundo willingly then screw you."

Gin turned towards her, and gave a frustrated sigh. She was always this way ever since he first met her, she never listened, "Ran-"

"Where are we?" she demanded, "Where's Haineko? I swear to god that if you did anything to her I'll kick your-"

He grabbed her arm and pinned her to the floor. Leaning over her, his red eyes opened and glared back.

"I'm not goin' to harm you." he replied, "You're in Rukongai, you're zanpakuto is leaning against the wall with Shinsou, and I have no plans to take you to Hueco Mundo. Do you want to know how you got dressed into those clothes you're wearing too, or are you finished with the questions?"

It was probably the most he had ever said to her in a while. Here, the man that she had been in love with since even before she could read and all she could think about was whether or not he was going to kill her.

"Wait, you took off my clothes?" she grabbed his arm, "What-"

He flinched. Looking back at her hand, there was blood on it. Pulling the sleeve of his kimono up, the bandage that covered his arm was beginning to soak through.

"Damn it, Gin." she said, searching around for the extra bandage roll, "You can't just walk around like this. You'll scare the shit out of people." she began to peel the dirty wrappings off his arm, "Why aren't you taking me to Hueco Mundo? Not that I actually want to go."

"Because I'm dead."

"Huh?"

"Aizen and the rest of everyone else think I'm dead." he said, "I don't want to go back to that place."

"Why?"

"Because I hate it."

Gin was so chatty before, and now he was not telling her anything of importance. He was the sort of person that only said what he needed to say, and that was it. Perhaps she would be able to get what she wanted out of him later.

"It don' matter anyway." he said, "Aizen doesn't care about me. Sure, I'm strong, but he has other strong subordinates."

"They could kill you for betraying them."

Gin smirked at that idea, "If they can find me, they're welcome to."

* * *

Orihime opened her eyes and stared at the ceiling. She let out a loud sigh and turned on her side. Waking up in another strange atmosphere...at least her head was not hurting any more. Adjusting to so many different environments was difficult. She actually felt a little chilly, Hueco Mundo was constantly humid and warm. 

"Huh?"

Ichigo was sitting in a chair next to her bed, asleep, Zangetsu was leaning against the back of the chair. It was obvious that he was tired, especially after fighting all those Arancars. The moment she woke, he stirred, opening his eyes to look back at her.

"Hey."

"Hi." she replied back.

"How do you feel?"

Orihime stared at him a moment, "How come I'm not in jail?"

"Unohana-san and the others are talking about that right now."

That was not good. A lot of the other captains would see her as a threat, and many of the others would want to use her for information. Of course, she would tell them whatever they wanted to know. Orihime held no particular loyalty to Aizen, she hated him. If anything, she did not want the Seireitei and Arancar to fight because she was tired of all the war.

"Oh."

"But she says that it's likely that you'll be released." he said, "She read your memories."

"What?!"

Orihime sat up, giving him an alarmed look. Did Unohana-taicho tell Kurosaki-kun about what happened in her past? There were things that Inoue never wanted him to know, and things that she did not want to even remember herself.

"What do you mean she read them?" Orihime grabbed the front of his shirt, "She didn't say anything did she-"

"Don't worry." he sighed, "She didn't tell me anything."

She relaxed a little and slumped against the headboard. Ichigo watched her a for a while. That was not the reaction he had been expecting, and it alarmed him. What had happened to her while she was there?

"It there anything I should know?" he asked.

Orihime buried her face in the pillow, "N-No."

"Inoue-"

"There's isn't anything."

"I know why you left."

Her blood ran cold, and she gave him an alarmed look.

"Going with them saved my life and other people's lives back then. We would have all lost that battle if it weren't for you and Karakura would have been overrun back then." he said, "For that reason, the Soul Society owes you a favor. They'll probably let you go."

Orihime sat back up, staring at him with wide eyes. They would...just let her go? After five years of living in that hell she would be free again? Ichigo was staring in her eyes again. Sitting up in his chair, he sighed,

"I don't know whats going on. But you're safe now." he said, "You're free. I'm not going to let them hurt you. If there is anything you want to tell me, or anything you need..."

He yelped as she threw herself foreward into his arms. Laying across his lap, she pressed her face into his chest, sobbing. Her entire body shook as she cried, and all he could bring himself to do was hold her in his arms.

"I w-want..." she cried, "I want to go home. Take me home. I want to go home right now."

"Okay." he told her, "I'll take you."

* * *

Shinji had a bad feeling. A feeling that was starting to make him restless. Sitting on the balcony of the training hall, Ukitake sat next to him. 

"Sake?"

"No, thank you."

"So..." Ukitake sighed, "How is our Shinigami subsitute doing in the real world?"

"Kurosaki is a brat." Shinji said, "Hiyori and I still train with him once in a while, but he's a dumbass. It takes him a while to pick up spirit control, and he's stubborn."

"I see." Ukitake laughed, "Sounds like him."

"But he has great potential. Someday he may become stronger then both Hiyori and I."

"That's a lot coming from you."

"No duh."

"Have you heard?" Ukitake asked, "About Inoue-san."

"I've heard." Shinji nodded, leaning back on his arms, "That big dope ditched me to hang with that woman. I'll have to kick his butt when he comes back."

"Anxious to get back home?"

"You could say that." he said, "I did my good deed for the day. I'm ready to go back. This place gives me a headache."

"Could it also be that you're nervous about an attack occuring while you and Kurosaki are away?"

"Could be." Shinji scratched his head, "It wouldn't surprise me if they try to attack Karakura soon."

* * *

Byakuya emerged from the council meeting to find his sister standing in the hallway. She was staring at him with a troubled look on her face. In the beginning when he had first taken Rukia in, she was clingy and hung around him as much as she could. It had been a while since he had come from a meeting and found her waiting for him. 

"Rukia."

"Onii-sama." she looked up, "What did they say?"

Byakuya regarded her a moment, and then walked past her, ignoring her calls. Rukia rushed behind him, and found that he was heading straight to Inoue's room. When they arrived, he knocked on the door.

"Come in." a voice answered, it was Orihime's. He opened the door to find Inoue still in bed. Ichigo sat in a chair next to her, a somewhat uneasy look on his face. Both of them seemed to wait for Byakuya's response.

"Inoue will be cleared." he said, "But she will be watched carefully by the Seireitei for a while until she can be trusted again. There will be a seal attached to her so her movements and reiatsu will be tracked, but the Soul Society is allowing her to return."

"Thank the gods." Rukia sighed

"She is also to report to the Soul Society any information."

"I will." Orihime nodded, "Anything."

"But you are free to go once the seal is attached." he bowed slightly and then left the room. Rukia smiled and threw her arms around Inoue.

"I'm so happy to see you." she said, "I thought-"

"Kuchiki-san." Orihime smiled, hugging her back, "How have you been?"

Ichigo watched the two girls talk. Other then Tatsuki, Orihime and Rukia seemed like best friends. Before the whole mess started, they had been training together in the Seireitei. Rukia attributed some of her own skills to the fact that she had practiced so delligintly with Inoue back then. As he watched them, it was beginning to sink in. Orihime Inoue was free again, and she would be able to return to the real world.

What was going to happen to her now?

Picking up after five years would be difficult, but he trusted that she would be able to do it. Inoue had always had the ability to be flexible and to get by the best she could.

"Oh!" Orihime remembered, "How is Hitsugaya-san?"

"He'll be alright, we got to him soon enough that Unohana-taicho wias be able to heal him."

Inoue sighed, "Good."

* * *

Shirou lay in bed, his eyes closed. What he really wanted to do was sleep. After everything that happened, however, the only thing that he seemed to see when he slept was nightmares. Hearing the door open, he made a face, 

"Hinamori, you're supposed to knock before coming into someone's room."

"S-Sorry." she gently closed it behind her, "How are you feeling?"

He shrugged as she sat on the edge of his bed. Hitsugaya's blue eyes gazed at her from where he was laying in the bed, "What is it?"

"I came to see how you were doing." she said, "It looked like you were hurt badly. I just wanted to know that you were okay."

"I'm fine." he said, "I've had worse wounds then this."

Oh yes, much worse wounds. The wounds that had been made by Aizen.

"Shirou-kun?"

Hitsugaya let out an irritated sigh, "Hinamori, how many times do I have to tell you it's _Hitsugaya-taicho_-"

She kissed him.

That was definitely something he was not expecting. In his weakened condition he really could not push her away, then again, he really did not want her to go. His eyes sunk closed as her soft lips moved over his, her fingers tangling into his hair.

"Why don't you just call me Momo, and then we can be even?" she asked.

Shirou stared at her, this had to be some sort of weird dream. Hinamori Momo had just kissed_ him_.

"B-But-"

"I would like it if you did." she blushed, "I miss those days when you called me Momo. Now that we're the same rank again, you can call me whatever you want."

He yanked her down on the bed next to him, "Stay here while I sleep and I'll do whatever you want."

Before she could answer, he had fallen asleep. Looking at him sadly, it did not take a genius to know that he had nightmares when he slept. Smiling to herself, she wrapped her arms around him and fell asleep at his side.

* * *

It was a few days until they left. Even though Shinji complained the whole time, they could not leave until Inoue was ready to go. She was still weak, and could not leave until the Soul Soceity placed a tracking seal on her. In the end, a small black butterfly tatoo was placed on left side of her chest, giving a direct link between her and the tracking systems of the Seireitei's main computer. 

Ichigo did not really understand any part of it, but whatever they said Inoue agreed to. Packing their things, they bid good-bye to everyone and headed back to the gate. Renji and Rukia were no where to be found at the time, so Ukitake agreed to escort them back.

"I'll bet it will be nice to finally go back home, Inoue-san." Ukitake smiled at her.

"I'm excited." she said, "And a little uneasy. I wonder how much everything has changed."

Ichigo snorted, "Not that much."

"You're one to talk." Shinji shoved his hands in his pocket, "Kurosaki-_sensei_."

"Eh?" Orihime made a face.

"Shut up, Hirako."

"Oh, come on, Kurosaki. I think you're a great high school teacher." Ukitake laughed.

"Kurosaki-kun is a what?!" Orihime gapped at her former classmate. There was a strange red tint on Ichigo's cheeks.

"It's not that amazing." he murmured.

"Of course it is!" Orihime smiled, "Kurosaki-kun teaches at our old school! I'll bet he's a wonderful teach-"

She froze, and the other men watched as she dropped the bag in her hand. The color drained from her face as her eyes grew wide.

"Inoue?" Ichigo looked at her, "What's wrong?"

She raised a shaking hand and pointed towards the gate. Laying at the bottom of the closed gate were two figures covered in blood. Rushing to the spot that they lay, Ichigo turned over the first person to find out that he knew exactly who it was.

"Ishida!" Ichigo shook his friend's shoulders.

Ishida had somehow made it through the spirit gate before collapsing. In his arms, he had dragged Nemu with him. Both of them were covered in deep gash wounds, which Ichigo automatically recognized as those from a zanpakuto.

They both reeked of Espada reiatsu.

Ishida's eyes opened slightly, and he managed to focus on Kurosaki through the one unbroken lens of his glasses.

"Kurosaki..." he groaned, and then caught sight of Orihime, who had started to heal his more serious wounds. He frowned, "Inoue?"

She gave him a worried smile, "Hi, Ishida-kun."

"What happened to you?" Ichigo demanded.

Ishida was silent a moment, glancing back over at Nemu. She was still unconcious, not doubt having used most of her spirit energy trying to fight against the Espada. It would be a while before he would be up to speed either.

"The Espada..." he replied, as he began to pass out once more, "...have attacked Karakura."

* * *

Grimmjaw stood from his perch on the top of the grocery store. He really wished that the screaming in the town would stop. Just because the city was partially on fire and they had managed to destroy a water main somewhere did not mean that they had to make his ears bleed. 

Ulquiorra appeared on the other end of the roof.

"What the hell are you doing, Grimmjaw?" Ulquiorra glared at his Arancar comrade, "Aizen ordered you as part of the attack force."

"Kurosaki isn't here." Grimmjaw scratched his head, "I'll only fight him."

Making a disgusted look, the Espada commander looked back at the city, "We lost Tszuria and Aaroniiro."

"Serves them right if they are weak enough to get beaten here."

"We have been ordered back to Hueco Mundo." Ulquiorra replied, "But there is one more thing."

"I don't give a shit." Grimmjaw replied, getting ready to leap off the building.

"Orihime Inoue escaped from Las Noches."

* * *

_I hope it worked out okay:D_

_Just so everyone knows. There will NOT be an update next week. Next week is Anime Detour in Minnesota, and I will not be here to update. But I will be right back after Detour for the next update. Hang tight until then :D_

_Thanks for reading. If you go to Detour, have fun. I plan on it!_

_Arigato_

_Lilith _


	14. Chapter 14

_I am SO sorry. There have been too many things coming up lately, and my updates have been pushed back further and further. I hope this chapter makes up for the long wait:D_

_Detour was a blast!_

_Thanks to gmsephiroth for the beta!_

_Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach_

* * *

Aizen glared at his aids as they reported to him on the situation. During the confusion, Orihime had escaped from Hueco Mundo. The guards could not find her anywhere in the castle or in the villages outside. Considering the fact that her reiatsu was now completely gone, the only assumption was that she was no longer there. 

He was somewhat surprised, but he did not show it.

Orihime was his antithesis. She was a human, not a Shinigami, who was somehow gifted with the powers of a god. Maybe she was not as powerful as him, but the power to change the course of time was something not even Aizen could do. It was like she was some sort of monster to him. No human mortal should have that sort of power. This, in reality, made her a threat to him unless she was on his side.

Obviously, the threat of having him kill everyone she knew was not as big of a worry anymore. Aizen suspected that Kurosaki Ichigo had somehow gotten to her and spouted some nonsense about being more powerful than he. Kurosaki was a speck. He was nothing compared to what Aizen was.

There was still one more hold that Aizen had on Inoue. Maybe in all honesty it would be more effective then the threat of physical harm. Looking up at his aids, Aizen leaned back into his chair.

"Send Noritora to retrieve her as soon as possible."

* * *

Orihime had managed to heal Ishida considerably, and he had been sent back to the Seireitei with Nemu. He would be staying there while he was healing. After returning to the gate, they stepped through and emerged back into the Urahara Shoten. 

What they saw was horrible.

The store was in shambles. Shinji frowned, "There was an attack here as well.

"Urahara-san!" Ichigo went running towards the enterence of the store.

Urahara turned the moment he heard Kurosaki's voice. He had sensed who it was right away, so he did not kill them. It had been hours since he had been fighting Arrancar that had managed to get into the city. There had always been a possibility that they would have managed to break through the Shoten's gate as well and get inside.

"Ah, Kurosaki-san." Urahara gave him a tired smile. He was holding his sword in one hand, and he was carring an injured Ururu on his back. She was asleep, and there were small wounds covering both of the shop's workers, "I see you've brought us a guest."

Inoue was standing outside, hands covering her face, "This is terrible."

"Do not blame yourself, Inoue-san." Urahara walked towards her, "It was not something you could stop."

She glanced at the former captain, raised her hands, and healed the wounds on Ururu's face. The little girl moved slightly, and then returned to sleep.

"I've already taken care of the others. But I'm afraid that little Ururu here was reluctant to leave me alone, I think." Urahara chuckled, "She's rather attached."

Orihime smiled, and patted the girl's head, "She's very brave."

Ichigo let out a sigh, his family was okay. He counted all of their reiatsu signatures in the city. Tatsuki, Hansai, and all the others were also there. However, there was one signal that he was having trouble sensing. Turning to see if Hirako had managed to sense Hiyori anyway, he noticed the alarmed look of his Vizard teacher's face right away.

"What is it?" Ichigo asked him.

Shinji stared grimly at the sky, "I can't feel Hiyori's life force anywhere."

Before Ichigo could respond, Hirako took off down the street in the direction of the cafe.

* * *

_What the hell was wrong with him?_

He knew that Aizen would try and attack the town while he was away. Karakura was a stronghold for spirit energy, and in order to win the war Aizen needed to capture Karakura. Shinji had known something like this would happen.

_No._ This was not Inoue's fault, or Kurosaki's fault. It was his own damn fault all this happened.

Things like this were the reason that Hirako Shinji tried to stay away from situations that would drag him into a feeling of responsibility. He wanted to only worry about what he was obligated to do. In the last few years, however, he had uncharacteristically begun to branch out. Now the well-being of the entire town was his responsibility.

The cafe was in shambles.

"Damn it." he cursed as he ran into the shop. The glass in the windows were broken, from the way it was shattered, it was probably broken by someone's rapid increase in reiatsu. Looking around, he did not see any bodies around. Catching sight of a smear of red blood on the wall, he drew his sword.

"Hiyori!" he called.

Nothing.

Creeping slowly through the shop, he was ready to strike any rouge Espada at any given moment. It was clear from the damage that Hiyori had fought someone of incredible power. As he got closer into the shop, he heard Kurosaki call him from the front of the store.

_Shit, if there was anyone here, now they'd know I'm here._

He was at the corner that came out to the main dance area. Whipping around the corner, he stopped. The limp form of one of Aizen's Espada captains lay in front of him. Shinji recognized her as one of the upper-level Espada. Stepping over to her, he frowned.

Her reiatsu was gone.

_So much for interrogation_. Shinji turned back to the scene, scanning the area from any movement. There was a particularly large pile of debris in the middle of the dance floor from where the ceiling had started to cave in. Sheathing his sword, he began to clear it away. He could hear his own heartbeat in his ears.

_Please let her be alive_. As he moved a board, there was a bloody hand underneath it, still gripping a zanpakuto.

"Hirako!" Ichigo ran into the front door, "What the hell-"

"Stay where you are." Shinji replied.

Clearing the rest of the sheetrock away, he laid the back of his hand on her face. Her face was still warm, which meant she could still be revived. There was a trace of her reiatsu left, which meant that there was a still a chance for her.

"This one's dead." Ichigo leaned over the fallen Espada, "How's she doing?"

"She's almost gone." Hirako gently picked her up in his arms. There were shattered remains of her hollow mask still sticking to her hair.

"Inoue will be able to heal her."

"There's not enough time. I'll have to give her part of my spirit energy."

Ichigo frowned, "How do you do that?"

"Like this." Hirako sat on the edge of the stairs that lead down from the main dance floor, tilted her head back in his arms, and closed his mouth over hers. There was a sudden rise in reiatsu, and Ichigo watched as he felt Hiyori's untraceable energy begin to rise slightly.

Shinji felt one of her fingers twitch slightly.

Pulling away from her, she was staring back at him, a weak smirk on her face, "I'm going...to get you for that...Shinji..."

"You stupid."

Shinji stared back at her, and then pulled her tightly into his arms. He had given her a third of his own energy. It was enough to pull her away from death. Truth be told, as much as he was angry with himself, he was just happy that she was going to be okay.

* * *

When they reached the Kurosaki Clinic, the garage was already opened to service more walk-in patients. Karin and Yuzu were running ragged around the place, as well as Ichigo's father. But as Ichigo walked in, they stopped long enough to smother him with hugs. Having been worried to death about him, Yuzu smacked him upside the head and scolded him for not coming right away. Upon explaining to Inoue that his father was actually a Shinigami, Orihime took to healing the more severe cases right away. His father would watch her to make sure it did not attract too much attention. 

Standing on the roof of the clinic, he stared at the city. Most of the fires seemed to have been put out, but there was severe damage everywhere. He had come too late that time to help, and it was beginning to weigh heavily on his concious.

"Sight seeing, huh?"

He turned to see Hansei in the doorway. The Vizard was covered in bandages from head to toe.

"I'm afraid I don't have the medical expertise the others have." Ichigo replied, "Did you take out one of them?"

"The ninth one." Hansei limped over to sit on the side of the railing, "Arisawa is going nuts over that Inoue girl now. She says she's going to kick your sorry ass for not finding her sooner, so you probably want to avoid the first floor for a while."

Ichigo chuckled, "She'll get over it. So what happened?"

"They came this morning." Hansei yawned, "I was on duty, and got a call that a bunch of strange people were destroying buildings in the town square. I didn't think there'd be five Espadas there to greet me. One of them didn't fight. He just sat on top of the grocery store and watched."

"Which one?"

"The light-blue haired one."

"Grimmjaw. He was probably waiting for me."

"Probably." Hansei shrugged, "The Espada chick went after Hiyori, who faught like hell. Shinji is probably really pissed right now."

"I would be."

"Anyway...I had to fight this really creepy guy. He had floating heads." Ichigo gave him a strange look, but Hansei ignored it, "I managed to take him down in the end, but it was hard. Arisawa found me half-dead in the road."

Ichigo shrugged, and turned back to watching the sky.

"Hey man, something bothering you? You've been quiet."

"Those bastards did something to her." Ichigo frowned, "They did something to Inoue. I'm not sure what it was, but she won't tell me."

"She'll probably tell you when she wants too."

Ichigo sighed, he felt restless. Like he wanted to do something but did not know what or how. If he had been there when Aizen attacked, he could have done something.

"Don't beat yourself up over this whole attack thing." Hansei told him, "It wasn't your fault. There was no way that you could have known."

"I guess." Ichigo leaned at the railing, "I just-"

The door promptly flew open, and standing in the doorway Shinji had a look that turned Ichigo's blood cold. It was true that Hirako had the strongest Vaizard powers out of the whole group, but was generally careful about flouncing his reiatsu. Ichigo could feel Hiarko's energy radiating in every direction.

"Hansei." Hirako told him, "Call the others."

"But-"

"They must report here by tomorrow morning or I will hunt them down."

He slammed the door shut, Ichigo and Hansei exchanged glances.

Yes, Shiniji was pissed.

* * *

Grimmjaw stood in front of the door to Orihime's villa. Her energy presence was almost completely gone now. Traces of her reiatsu were still lingering, but it was not much. Pretty much the entire base was in an uproar looking for her since he had returned, and he was starting to get into the mindset of looking for her himself. Despite the fact that he always knew that if she really wanted to escape she would do it someday. 

"You look like she died."

Ulquiorra stood in the hallway, his arms folded.

"She was dead while she was here." Grimmjaw replied, "She's gone back to living."

"You knew she would eventually leave. If your feelings for her are that strong, why don't you chase after her?"

"Do you have some point to being here?" Grimmjaw snapped, "I'm getting fucking tired of your stupid face."

"I heard a rumor from higher-up." Ulquiorra replied, "Something that may interest you."

"Oh?"

"Aizen-sama sent someone after Inoue."

"Of course he did."

"He sent Noritora."

Grimmjaw gaped at the commander, and then stared back at the door to the villa. In his entire life he had never felt obligated to be kind to anyone. It was a waste of time to try and make bonds with people, but somehow, he ended up with a bond with Orihime.

He hated everyone. He did not owe them anything.

But he owed her.

Noritora was a psycho. He was not your regular Espada. There was a side to him that even gave Grimmjaw the creeps.

"Shit."

Ulquiorra frowned, "I just thought you would want to know."

As Ulquiorra turned back down the hallway, Grimmjaw smashed his fist into the door with a loud yell. If Noritora was going after Orihime, then there were bigger problems at the moment than the war between Hueco Mundo and the Seireitei.

* * *

Ichigo plodded down the stairs. It was early in the morning, the day after he and Shinji returned from the Soul Society. He had tried to sleep that night, but there were too many thoughts in his head. All that he had managed to do during the night was worry about Aizen's attacks, and plan assignments for his class. 

There was the smell of coffee coming from the kitchen. Peeking in the room, Ichigo was surprised to not find Yuzu there, but Orihime.

"Inoue?" Ichigo yawned, taking a seat at the table.

"Good Morning, Kurosaki-kun." she smiled, "I told Yuzu to sleep in today. She was up late last night with the others taking care of wounded, so I thought it would be good to give her a rest."

"What about you?" he asked, "You probably overtaxed your powers yesterday."

"I'll be fine." Orihime replied, "It doesn't take even half the energy to heal a human then it does to heal an Arrancar."

"I see."

She set a cup of coffee in front of him, and he was pleased to find that it was strong. Taking a seat across from him, she took a sip from her own cup.

"How are you doing?" he asked.

"Well." she grinned, "It's wonderful to be back."

Ichigo was silent a moment, and then he set down the coffee, "Inoue?"

"Yes?"

"What happened to you while you were at Hueco Mundo that you won't tell me about?"

She visibly froze, and he could see her hands begin to tremble. Managing to set down her cup before spilling it's contents on herself, Orihime stared at the floor.

"I-"

"Look at me." he said. When she would not, he reached forward and laid a hand on her face to drag her gaze in his direction, "Look and me and tell me. There's nothing you need to be afraid of."

"But..."

"I told you I would protect you." he said, "Whatever it is, it'll feel better to tell me."

_Not this, Kurosaki-kun._

There were tears in her eyes as she reached up and touched the hand resting on her cheek. It was the first time he had made any move towards her at all. It almost hurt her more then when he would just treat her like a friend, she did not want him to give her hope.

"What is it, Inoue?"

Ichigo was stubborn and never gave up on things, she knew this better than anyone. There was no way that she was going to be able to avoid it now. If he hated her for it, it would probably be for the best anyway.

Orihime backed away from him, standing up, she walked to the window. She did not want to see his reaction.

"Two years ago, I was...attacked by one of the Espada." she said, "And I died."

* * *

_Thanks for your patience. The next chapter will partially be about Orihime's past. Only about six more chapters ::sniff sniff::_

_ If you get inspired, go over to and check out my Waves of Ether story. It's another experimental story, and its not a fanfiction, but I think it started out alright. Advice would be appreciated!_

_Send a review and tell me what you think :D_

_Arigato _

_Lilith  
_


	15. Chapter 15

_Next chapter :D It's a flash back that will last through this chapter and half of the next. Chapter 16 is already in the works, and it will be up ASAP. So don't loose interest quite yet!_

_Thanks to gmpsephiroth for the beta!_

_Have fun!_

_Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach.  
_

* * *

"Orihime-sama! We're missing the bandages!" Tak rushed into the room, carrying a huge box of supplies with her. 

Orihime peeked out from behind her desk. It was covered with stacks of records from every Arancar, Espada, former-Shinigami, and every being in the complex. Being head of the medical department was not easy, and Orihime needed to memorize every file. She considered it a god send that she had developed such good study skills in school.

"One of the others must have gone through the storage rooms again." Orihime sighed, sitting back in her chair. She had been collecting folders that had spilled on the floor. There were boxes, stacks, and piles of hundreds of files around her office.

"I keep telling them not to do that!" Tak slammed her hand on the desk, causing Orihime to yelp and catch a bunch of folders about to slide off the edge, "Boys will be boys, I say. It doesn't matter _what _they are, they are still muscle-bound morons."

Inoue laughed, stacking the files back up. Tak glanced at the clock, and realized they had been working for six hours straight, "Orihime-sama?"

"Hn?"

"Would you like to take a break? It's been-"

"Oh my goodness!" Orihime shrieked, realizing the time. She was supposed to be eating dinner with Aizen and the other in twenty minutes, "Gotta run!"

Tak watched the girl leap out of the chair and bound of the room. Once she left, the Arancar side of her appeared, cursing to herself. She was beat out of the head position because of this mindless human woman? Tak was aware of Orihime's strength, but the woman did not have a shred of common sense. She still zipped around the complex like she was nervous all the time, and she was so loud that Tak swore her ears bled.

_What were you thinking Aizen-sama?_

* * *

Orihime ran down the hallway, she would be scolded by Kaname-sama if she was late again. Gin thought it was always amusing when Orihime came tumbling through the doors, and she even noticed Aizen chuckling on occasion. 

These people were her enemies. But lately, after spending two years at Hueco Mundo, she had begun to relax a little. She still missed home terribly and would have given up just about anything to get back, but she was no longer as afraid of Las Noches as she used to be.

"You look happy."

She stopped, and turned as one of the Espada stepped from the edge of the hallway. Noritora smirked at her, tilting his head to the side. Orihime had met a lot of interesting people in her life, but none as creepy as this man. He scared her more then anyone had ever before.

"Ah." she bowed quickly, "I am fine."

He sneered, and she watched as he trailed a finger across her cheek. A chill shot through her, like death was passing around her. Then he chuckled, and walked passed her. Orihime glanced back at him as he disappeared down the hallway and prayed that she would not have to see him again.

"I'm so sorry I'm late!" she burst into the doors, almost tripping over the carpet. Gin laughed, and waved it off,

"No need, Orihime-san."

"Just because she's on our rank, Gin, does not mean you should be lenient on her." Tousen frowned.

"Oh stop being such a killjoy, Kaname." Gin said, "She works harder than you, that's for sure."

"Gin-"

"Gentlemen, I think this conversation should be saved for a later date, hm?" Aizen took a sip of tea, "Have a seat, Orihime."

She bowed and took a seat. It was strange sitting at the same level as all these powerful men. There was no doubt in her mind they could all kill her at a moment's notice, but they needed her powers more then anything. Aizen viewed her powers as godlike, and often praised her for her work.

Orihime hid the fact that she would rather shove a zanpakuto threw his heart, but she was doubtful that he even had one.

"Anything to report?" Aizen asked her.

"Nothing new." Orihime replied, "There have been a few training accidents, but nothing out of the ordinary."

"Very good." Aizen said, "You take very good care of the Arancar."

"Thank you, Aizen-sama." she smiled.

_Screw you. I'll see you in hell._

* * *

It was always a short dinner. They ate, spoke about the occurrences on the base, and would make recommendations for tomorrows operations. There would be a mock tournament soon, to determine the new line up of Arancar. She was to expect more injuries then normal during those weeks, but nothing too out of the ordinary. 

Excusing herself, she headed back towards her villa. It was a strange room, innovated to suit her needs, but she liked it better then the room-jail cell she had before. The bed was also comfortable, and made the long hours of standing more bearable.

She would work most of the day, usually twelve hours or more, sleep when she felt like it, and then train once in a while. After finally getting used to the fact that she would never return back to the real world, she began to train her powers on her own.

"Where are you going, woman?"

Orihime flinched, it was that annoying tone again. Never in her life had she met such an irritating individual. She had no idea how he managed to frustrate her to no end.

So she ignored him.

"Hey!" Grimmjaw snapped, having just made his way out of the training hall, "Don't ignore me, bitch!"

"How rude." she yawned, "I told you already that if you didn't fix your manners I wouldn't speak to you again."

Grimmjaw began to consider stabbing her with his sword.

"If you don't come here I'm going to kill you!"

"FINE!"

His mouth dropped open.

"Hey!"

Orihime could hear him rushing after her, reaching for the door of her villa, he caught her shoulder.

"Are you dumb?!" he yelled, "Its the dead of night! Where are your escorts!?"

Orihime gaped at him a moment, and then laughed. Last week she had waved off her escorts. It was getting to be a pain to have people following her all the time, and she was confident that she was strong enough to at least protect herself.

"Why are you laughing now?" he made a face.

"You actually expressed a feeling of emotion, Jaggerjaq-sama." she said, mockingly, "I'm impressed."

She did not miss his cheeks turning red slightly and went to stomp off down the hall, "Fuck you! Next time I speak to you about anything it'll be a cold day in hell!"

Orihime smiled and waved, "See you later then!"

Grimmjaw was probably the most obnoxious person she had ever met. Every day he would purposely incite an argument with her, and every day she would win. It was beginning to be a run-on joke in the barracks of how many arguments Grimmjaw would win against the human girl. There were even betting pools going on in the last few weeks.

"That idiot has a crush on you."

She yelped, noticing Tsubaki sitting neatly on her shoulder.

"What?" she stared at him flabbergasted.

The black fairy scoffed at her, she was as dumb as ever. Did he have to watch her every moment? Not only did he have to personally oversee her training, he was the one doing most of the work, and now he had to babysit her too?

"Nevermind. Go to bed, wench."

"I swear." Orihime frowned, "You're manners are almost as bad as Grimmjaw's."

* * *

Grimmjaw marched down the hall, a string of swearing trailing behind him as went. Rupee managed to laugh so loud that it practically woke the entire base as Grimmjaw entered the training hall again. 

"Shut up you jackass!" Grimmjaw snapped.

"What is that..." Rupee thought, "The fifty-seventh one she's won?"

"Give it up, dude." Yami replied, sharpening his zanpakuto in the corner.

Grimmjaw snorted, turned away from them. He was tired of their badgering about him and the human woman. Glancing out of the window of the training hall, he caught sight of a familiar circular scyth and a figure perched on top of the north tower.

Any chance to fight him was an opportunity that Grimmjaw was willing to take.

Before the others could stop him, he vaulted out of the window and lept onto the rooftop. Drawing his zanpakuto, he raced towards the Espada who was now sneering at him. Noritora effortlessly swung the scyth once and blocked his comrade.

"When are you going to get it through your thick skull, Grimmjaw-kun, that I could kill you whenever I feel like it."

"You'd better be ready to be disappointed then." Grimmjaw whipped the sword once through the air and replaced it at his side, "Once of these days I'll steal your position from you."

"So foolish." Noritora turned back to his gaze of the landscape. Grimmjaw began to realize that he had a clear line of sight to Orihime's room from where they stood. As if on cue, the girl strolled out onto the balcony, watered the small desert plant that she kept, and then returned inside, "Everyday she comes out at the same time. Interesting, no?"

"Why would I care about something like that?"

"Why, indeed." Noritora smirked, "Despite her origins a lot of squads fancy her, you know."

Grimmjaw had to admit that sometimes Noritora creeped him out. This Espada, one of the oldest Espada in the company, had a strange warped sense of logic. Generally, he killed everyone he faced in battle, which was why no one dared to fight him. Grimmjaw still was not sure why Noritora had not killed him yet.

"What about you, Grimmjaw-kun?"

Grimmjaw gritted his teeth, he was getting tired of everyone getting on his case about the woman. Letting out a curse, he leapt from his spot and back towards the training room. Noritora snicked, and turned his head back towards Orihime's room. He watched as she stood on the balcony and stared at the dead landscape.

Soon, Grimmjaw would come to regret that move for the rest of his life.

* * *

Orihime sat on the edge of her bed. It had been a long day, but then again, every day was long there. For some reason she felt restless, and instead of getting dressed for bed, she pulled her uniform back on and headed out. 

It was rare that she got time to herself. Most of it was spent in the office or the infirmary, or wandering around treating minor wounds on the base. On her free time, she like to simply walk around Los Noches, and learn where all the rooms and hallways were. Stopping at the end of one hall, she spied a small courtyard outside. Smiling, she wandered outside, breathing in the lukewarm air.

The air was always a murky, lukewarm sort of temperature.

"Remembering old times?"

She jumped, having not even sensed him before hand. Noritora stood at the edge of the courtyard as she sat down on the bench.

"Some." she said, "Is something bothering you, Noritora-sama?"

"Not really. Nothing really bothers me." he replied, "That's what happens when you're as strong as I am."

He was always so egotistical. Orihime waved it off, "I've never been out here before."

"I come here often."

"I apologize if I disturbed you." she stood. She had to get out of there soon, "Well, I must be going, please excuse-"

In the blink of an eye, he was standing in front of her. Not prepared for it, she gasped as she stumbled backwards back onto the bench.

"Although-" he slowly eased onto the space next to her, "-sometimes there is something that bothers me."

"I-Is there?" she stuttered, "What is that-"

A strong arm yanked her forward, and his mouth covered hers. She had never been kissed before, but the only thought that managed to flash through her head was that she did not like it.

"Let go..."

"You bother me, Hime."

"Let go!"

She tore herself away from him, and there was a loud rip as he grabbed the front of her uniform and tore it down the middle. Falling off the edge of the bench, she watched as he stood up. Chuckling, he headed towards her.

"I watch you." he told her, "I watch you come out of your room every night at the same time."

She had to get away from him, there was no way that she was strong enough to fight him off. Before she could pull herself up, he grabbed the remains of her collar and shoved her against the wall. A small trail of blood fell from her forehead, he had slammed her so hard that she was sure she had a concussion.

"Let go..." she whispered, "Let go of me now."

"Next to Aizen-sama and the other Shinigami, and I am the strongest on this base." he said, "I get what I want, Hime, and I want you."

She gritted her teeth, this maniac was after her. Feeling one of his hands begin to pull one of the torn edges of her uniform off her shoulder, her mind began to snap.

* * *

Grimmjaw strolled down the hallway. He had an exam tomorrow, which meant he had to spend another unbearable hour in the presence of the ungodly moronic human girl. Personally, he did not see how it was possible for him to get any more irritated. There was a lot of people he hated, but none of them annoyed him as much as she did. 

Suddenly, he cried out as the ground shook. Thrown off his feet, he managed to grab a hold on the edge of the window. Glancing out of the window, there was a swarm of people running around outside, following by a flash of light. Gritting his teeth, he vaulted out of the window, sailing through the air and landing on the ground.

"Fuck it."

Grimmjaw raced towards the source. He did not sense any invaders, there were not any strange reiatsus in the area. What was even stranger, the power that he was now sensing seemed oddly familiar. Turning the corner into the courtyard, he cried out once more as the scythe that was normally wielded by Noritora sailed past his head and stuck into the stone wall.

"You bitch!" Noritora roared, stumbling backwards. The was a stream of blood trailing down his forehead. Grimmjaw gazed as the light source in the middle of the courtyard. The amount of reiatsu that was flowing into his mind was enough to make his head hurt.

It was her.

Orihime stood in the middle of the white lights, her long brown her swirled around her as she glared at her attacker.

"Orihime!" Grimmjaw stepped from the edge of the wall.

Her brown eyes strayed over to him. They seemed blank and emotionless. In his entire life the only person that Grimmjaw had ever really feared was Aizen-sama, but under her stare he found himself unable to move.

She raised her hand.

"Koten Zashun..." she murmured, "...I reject..."

Flicking her fingers in the air, Grimmjaw swore out loud and drew his sword. The beam of light hit him, pushing him backwards. Noritora drew his scythe from the wall,

"How dare she humiliate me..."

"Noritora!" Grimmjaw snapped, "What the fuck did you do you her, you crazy bastard!?"

Grimmjaw watched as Noritora raised the scythe over his head. Finally realizing what was happening, the scythe sailed past Grimmjaw's head and the blade sunk into the center of her chest. As if someone has simply switched off a light, her power blinked out. Standing in the middle of the courtyard covered in blood, her clothes torn, she gaped at a pair of light-brown eyes that were staring at her in horror.

"...ich..."

Grimmjaw raced towards her, catching her as she sunk to the ground. A blackness was closing around her eyes as she stared at those eyes.

"You crazy moron!" Grimmjaw snapped at her, "Shit! I told you to be careful!"

The brown eyes were now light blue. It was true, she really was not back home, and this was not Kurosaki Ichigo holding her at the moment.

"Grim..."

Grimmjaw glanced back at the approaching crowd, "Get a fucking medic over here now!"

"Ichi..."

He turned back at her, her head was resting on his shoulder now. Leaning over, he heard her speak, "...Kurosaki-kun...didn't save me..."

With that last phrase, she went limp in his arms.

* * *

_Next chapter will be up soon :D _

_Send a review and tell me what you think!_

_Arigato_

_Lilith _


	16. Chapter 16

_Here's the next chapter. Enjoy :D_

_Thanks to gmsephiroth for the beta! _

_Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach_

* * *

Dead. She was dead. 

Orihime stared into the void around her, wondering where she was. Did the afterlife look like a black void? That was so stereotypical.

_**Orihime-sama**_.

She jumped as if she had been electrocuted. Turning around, there was a figure of light standing behind her. Covering her eyes to get a clearer view, the being was smiling at her.

"Who...Who are you?"

_**Silly girl, you were careless and died.**_

"I'm dead?" Orihime gasped, "But-"

_**There's still too much to do, it's not time to die yet.**_

Orihime frowned, "But...maybe its-"

_**Better if you died?**_

She was quiet then, looking away from the glowing figure. For some reason, she did not feel alarmed by the strange figure's presence, maybe because it's energy felt so familiar.

_**We all have a role, Orihime-sama. You're role will come soon enough. You were given this massive power for a reason.**_

"Why me?!" she roared, "Why-"

_**Because you wanted to help.**_

"I..."

The glowing figure floated over towards her.

_**This war was predestined. It was predicted many millennium before hand, and there is no way to get around it. Key players are needed to end it, or it will simply continue. The balance between life and death can been upset by this war, and it is time the it was stopped. You were given this power for that reason.**_

"But how will I know what to do with it?" Orihime shook her head, "I'm only a human being, I don't anything about this! How am I supposed to know what to do?"

The being seemed to smile.

_**You'll know.**_

* * *

Grimmjaw felt her fall limp in his arms. The medics were already rushing towards them in the distance. If she died, Aizen would be livid. This whole...incident would screw everyone, not just those directly involved.

In the distance, he spotted Tak at the head of the crowd. Pushing Grimmjaw out of the way, he watched as the Arancar medical team began to work over her. The wound was so deep that the blood had already soaked her clothes red.

"Damn it!" Tak swore as she ruffled through her supplies, "Damn fragile weak humans!"

Grimmjaw could not manage to say anything as he watched them desperately work over her. The color had completely drained from her face, and it was then that he realized that there was something cold in his hand. He looked down to realize that he was still holding her hand.

She was really dead.

"I'll need to go inform Aizen-sa-"

Tak gasped, "Grimmjaw-sama, look out!"

The air from his lungs was promptly cut off. Everyone watched in sheer horror as Orihime's other hand promptly shot forward and locked around his throat. Grimmjaw grabbed her arm in order to try and release himself. _Shit, she really was strong..._

"Let me go-"

A burst of light surrounded everyone, and he could hear screams and yelling in the background as her energy aura flared around them. What the hell was she anyway? Some sort of monster?

There was something else.

His own reiatsu was falling. She was sucking out his own energy.

"Stop!" he roared, trying to release her hand, "Woman, you-"

She was taking too much, and he doubted that she even knew what she was doing. Struggling as hard as he could, he could not seem to break free from her grip. How did she get so strong?

"Hey-" he gasped, feeling his mind being to daze, "Orihime!"

There was a snap and the light cut off like it had been simply switched off by a switch. Opening his eyes cautiously, a pair of brown eyes were gaping up at him.

"Grimm...jaw?" Orihime stared at him.

As she spoke her hand lost its grip and she fell into him, bowling him over where he sat. Laying on the pavement, most of his own energy drained, he could feel her warm breath over his bare chest. Letting his head roll back, he passed out.

She was alive again.

Part of him was relieved by that.

* * *

Ichigo sat at the table, staring at her back. What was he supposed to say after that story? 

Orihime still could not believe she managed to tell him about the whole experience. Of course she omitted a few parts out, like the part where she was almost violated by Noritora, but it was the first time she had told that much of the incident to someone that had not already known about it.

"Inoue-"

She smiled at him as if she had just been telling him a fairy tale about bunnies and fluffy clouds, "Kurosaki-kun?"

He looked up at her eyes now, she was smiling so gently at him, it made the guilt in the back of his mind worse. If he had been stronger the first time around he could have rescued her and spared her all that pain. In truth, it was all his fault that it had happened. She had almost died, or rather, she had been killed once already.

"Yeah?"

"Thanks for listening." she told him, "Would you like some more tea?"

"Ah-"

She leaned forward to pick up a cup to pour him some more tea, and he heard a crash as the cup slid from her hands and shattered on the floor.

"Oh my goodness!" she cried, "I'm so sorry!" kneeling to the floor to pick up the shards.

"It's alright. I'll do it." he said, kneeling next to her, "I don't want you to cut yourself."

Her hands were shaking.

"Inoue? Are you alright?"

A tear slid down her cheek and to the floor. Looking up at her face, there were tears streaming down her face. She had not even realized she was crying, it had been such a long time since she allowed herself to cry that she was not even sure that she remembered how.

"I..." she said, trying to smear the tears from her face, "...I'm sorry-"

With a jerk, he yanked her into his arms, folding his arms around her, "It's okay. Go ahead and cry, Inoue."

She could not believe it. The man that she had been love with for the greater part of her life was holding her. Part of her was glad that she managed to live this long, now she could at least die happy.

Burying her face into his chest, she cried.

* * *

Ishida lay in bed, staring at the ceiling. Unohana had left not to long ago after checking him over, and now he was alone to dwell in his own thoughts. 

_"Was it something I did?" she asked._

_Ishida walked away from her, turning his back. She was glaring at him and that always made him nervous. Nemu shook her head, "You have always been so stubborn and ignorant of other people's feelings."_

_"That's not true."_

_"It is."_

_He gritted his teeth, did she enjoy making him suffer like this?_

_"I am still waiting for an answer, Uryuu." she told him, "Did I do something to you that caused you to hate me so?"_

_"I don't hate you."_

_"Liar."_

_Ishida was about to open his mouth to make a retort at her remark when he sensed something uneasy in the air. He frowned, running the familiar sense through his mind._

_"Uryuu?" she was calling out to him._

_He did not respond, still processing the feeling in his mind. It was very close, and very powerful. Almost so powerful that the energy was filling his thoughts._

_"Uryuu?"_

_His fingers moved over the Zeele swords on his belt. One strike, that's all he would-_

_"URYUU!"_

_He gasped as a large Arancar hurled towards him. Beginning to draw the sword, Nemu appeared in front of him, crossing her arms over her chest. A shield rose around them, drawing the sword from his waist he turned to stop her. The shield was draining her energy to quickly-_

_"Nemu-"_

_The shield cracked, and Ishida watched as the blade of a zanpakuto shattered the shield and ran through her shoulder..._

Ishida lay a hand on his forehead, he had a really bad headache and he was stuck in the Seireitei. Ichigo had told him to stay in the Soul Society for the time being. As troublesome as it was, Ishida was in no condition to fight whatever was in Karakura anyway. Fighting multiple Arancars over and over while protecting an injured comrade was not an easy job.

He still hated Shinigami after all.

Laying a hand on his forehead, he sighed, "It's all my fault, Nemu."

Speaking of which, he still did not know what happened to Nemu. There was an odd feeling in his chest whenever he thought about it. Sitting up, he pulled the yukata and sandals on, and left. Laying in bed for so long was a pain.

Part of him was still wishing that he what he was not what he was and she was not what she was and then everyone could be happy.

Maybe he would have to learn to be more open to possibilities. After all, his heart did not always follow his common sense.

* * *

Rangiku found herself cursing out loud again. Why the hell was she doing this anyway? Not only was she hiding out in a shack in the middle of Rukongai but it was freezing as hell and Gin had taken it upon himself to visit with the locals. 

Why did she feel compelled to make dinner, or rather, to make dinner for HIM?

Gin was the enemy.

The door opened, "Honey, I'm home!"

Ran made a face, she sometimes could not tell if she was the dumbass or if it was him. Gin was carrying a stack of wood, and after stacking them he tossed another log in the fire pit. Stopping a moment, he sniffed the air, and then a wide spread across his face.

"Rangiku." he grinned, "Is that...stew?"

"What if it is?" she replied. Was she blushing? It felt like she was, she needed to stop now to avoid encouraging him. At the first chance she got, she had to get away. If he decided to drag her back to Hueco Mundo with him, despite what he said, then she would rather kill herself now or get lost in the woods first.

"Then it smells heavenly." he rest his head on her shoulder.

_Oh gods, please don't give me hope._

Gin was always like that, giving her a mile when she could really only have an inch. Did he like teasing her?

"Well..." she picked up a spoon, there was a way to test him. Maybe she could try stirring his curiosity once in a while? "Why don't you try some?"

"Eh?"

"I think it might need more salt." she dipped the spoon in the stew and fed it to him. Gin stared at her a moment, and then licked his lips, "Well?"

He did not reply for a moment, there was a strange look on his face that she was not used to seeing.

"Gin?" she asked, "Is it alright?"

He leaned over and picked up the salt. She made a face, did it really need salt? Watching curiously as he promptly took a pinch of salt and smeared it over her lips. While she was still trying to figure out what it was that he was trying to do, he leaned over and kissed her.

Gin was kissing her. He had never kissed her before.

She could not help thinking about how gentle he was being with her as he kissed her, eventually scooping her up into his arms and sitting her on the wooden edge of the floor that surrounded the fire pit. His tenderness seemed to scare her a bit, more so then anything else he had been doing.

"Gin?" she whispered in the darkness as he pinned her to the floor, pulling her kimono off. She made no move to stop him, but she really did not want him to in the first place.

He was silent.

"Gin?"

This caught his attention. Looking up into her red face, his red eyes glowed at her as he asked, "Rangiku, do you trust me?"

It was a loaded question. She could not really say yes or no. So insteasd, she did the one thing that she always had to do with Gin in order to get him to cooperate.

"Only if you promise never to die on me."

His mouth opened a moment to contradict her, and then he closed it, "Ran-"

Before he could block her, her hands snaked out and locked around his throat. Her eyes was glaring at him in the dark, and he did not need to see her face to know the threatening look on her face.

"You're a fucking bastard, Gin." she said, "You come and string me along and then you leave without so much as a word."

He glared back, saying nothing. Then he watched as a tear slid down her face.

"You lead me along, Gin, and it hurts me. But then again, I let you." she said, "Because, you're the fucking bastard that I love. So you either make the deal or I'll kill you right here."

"Love and loss, right?"

"Who said it would be a loss?"

Gin then smirked back, "You were always able to match my wits, Rangiku."

"I've had a lot of practice." she said, "So promise, or no?"

"If I get something out of it as well." he said, "You must promise to fight with me when the time comes."

"I won't side with-"

"Not Aizen or the Seireitei." he said, "With_ me_. Can you do that?"

It was a deal for a deal, a large risk on her part. Luckily, Rangiku was good at gambling when she put her mind to it.

"Deal."

He leaned over and kissed the tears from her face before she realized they were even there. It had been years she had allowed herself to cry, and he wasn't going to waste any of her tears that had been shed on his behalf.

There was no need for such unhappy thoughts. As long as things went according to his plans, everyone would end up happy in the end.

* * *

There was not a room left in the entire clinic. 

"Well!" Isshin clapped his hands together, "This is a rather _unfortunate_ oversight, isn't it _Ichigo_?"

Ichigo made a face, the old man was planning something.

"There are too many patients." Ichigo shrugged, "She can room in my old bedroom."

"Already taken up by Hirako-san." Karin replied from where she was tending to a scrape on a small child's knee.

"Its okay." Orihime smiled, "My old apartment should be available, again. The space-time-"

"No, you can't stay by yourself." Ichigo told her, "Not with all the weirdos that are after you."

"Then I wonder who has an _place_ that can put up poor Inoue-san, hum, _Ichigo_?"

Ichigo knew where this was going, and it was a bad idea. Not that he was really against it, it was...just not a good idea.

"What about Tatsuki?"

"She's with Hansei-san." Orihime replied, "She's assisting him with his work for a while so I'll still be by myself."

"I wonder if there is some kind, generous, amazing person out there that would be willing to put up this nice young lady?" Isshin said, "I would hate to see her holed up in the supply closet on the floor-"

"She can stay at my place." Ichigo replied quickly, not wanting to hear the rest of the rant.

"That's my boy!" Isshin smacked Ichigo on the back, "I knew I raised you right."

"Kurosaki-kun's place?" Orhime asked, "B-But..." There was silence in the room, everyone was staring at her. She sighed in resignation, "Please forgive my intrusion..."

Orihime Inoue was going to be living in the same apartment with him. Kurosaki frowned, not really sure what to make out of the idea, or the strange feeling that he got from it.

There was a strange feeling in the back of his mind as well, and he could not seem to shake it off.

* * *

The shift in space-time opened, and the Espada stepped into the human world. Such pathetic, insignificant creatures human were. They were like a bunch of bugs that he wanted the squish with his foot. 

_There_, he could smell it.

"Looks like I found you, my dear."

Noritora took in a deep breath and took off in the direction of Orihime Inoue's reiatsu.

* * *

_Hello all!_

_**Author's Note**: It occurred to me the other day that there are a few mistakes throughout the story with names, places, etc. I've had a few people point this out to me and the fact that things sometimes clash with the comic/anime series. Although I am working to try and revise a few of the chapters to make sure that everything is consistent, please keep in mind that technically this story in an AU story ::obviously:: so not everything is going to conform to the original series. I started writing this story when the Arancar Arc was introduced in the manga, so a chunk of the names and some other things I have had to either make up, or wait until they are mentioned. I just want to remind everyone to thank you for your patience, and if something doesn't seem to be like the comic, there's probably a reason for it.  
_

_ Thanks again. Send a review and tell me what you think!_

_Arigato_

_Lilith  
_


	17. Chapter 17

_Hey everyone! Here's another chapter. I hope you like it:D_

_Note to everyone: There is a surprise note on my profile:D If you really like this story, I think you'll appreciate the note I put up there.  
Thank you to gmsephiroth for the beta!  
Warning: there is a lemon in this chapter. _

_Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach _

* * *

Although he was not really all that bothered about having Inoue stay at his place for a while, Ichigo had a feeling that it was more due to his father's interference then her really needing somewhere to stay. In the end he was fine with it, especially due to the strange feeling he had most of the day. Like something was lurking behind the corners, but he really did not know what. 

"Are you ready to go, Inoue?" he asked, standing at the front entrance.

She stuck her head out of the kitchen, and smiled. Ever since she had told him the story, he got the feeling that maybe she felt better. Before, Inoue was always upset about something.

"Coming, Kurosaki-kun!" she grinned, bounding out of the kitchen. She had been chatting with Yuzu and Karin for the last few hours, and Yuzu had been teaching Inoue a few different new recipes. Leaping off the edge of the step, she slipped on her shoes.

"Behave yourself, Ichi-nii!" Karin bellowed from the kitchen.

"Shut up!" Ichigo shout. Orihime giggled as he turned beat red, Kurosaki-kun was always shy about things.

They strolled down the street. It was dark out, and there was a warm, humid breeze. Ichigo liked nights like these, were it was warm but windy out. Inoue was walking next to him, a slight smile on her face. He could not really tell what she was thinking, he was never really good at that sort of thing anyway.

"Eh..." he scratched his head, "...my place is kind of small."

"I'm sure its fine." she told him, "I'm used to living all by myself. It'll be nice to not be living alone."

Ichigo nodded, he agreed with that statement. Although, he really was not all that alone in his apartment. Kon and Zangetsu were always arguing and found ways to make some sort of commotion.

There was a drop of rain.

"Ah." Inoue flinched, the drop had hit her cheek. A few second later, it was raining.

Ichigo made a face, "The forecast didn't say anything about rain." he said skipping ahead, they were going to be drenched, "We should hurry, Inoue...Inoue?"

She was simply standing in the middle of the sidewalk, staring at her hand. The rain was now a downpour, and they were both soaked to the bone. There was an odd look on her face as she watched the rain fall onto her fingers.

"Inoue?"

She suddenly grinned, and looked towards the playground that was not to far from where they stood. Ichigo jumped as she burst out laughing, running towards the jungle gym.

"Inoue!" he called, hurrying after her, "What are you doing?!"

"This is great!" she laughed out loud, holding her arms out as she sat on top of the gym. Ichigo looked up at her as she threw her head back and the rain trailed down her face.

"Inoue-"

"It's been so long since I've seen rain." she smiled, "It's wonderful. The rain, sun, sky...its all so pretty."

He opened his mouth to say something, and then his mind simply went blank. For years, there had always been something hanging over his head since she left. When she left, it was as if something was missing from him that he took for granted.

"Inoue?"

She looked down at him, still beaming at him. It was the first real smile she had in a long time. Her hair was sticking to her face, and her eyes sparkled at him despite the fact that it was pitch black outside.

Ichigo was an idiot, he knew that. He knew that he was stupid about a lot of things, and a lot of those things he really could not help.

"Isn't the rain nice, Kurosaki-kun?" she asked.

Ichigo smiled softly at her, "Yeah."

He really was an idiot.

She looked at him, slightly unnerved but his curious expression, "What is it-"

He reached up towards her, laying his hands on her cheeks that were cold from the rain, and pulled her down to his level. Ignoring the surprised squeak she made, he gently touched his lips to hers.

Ichigo still was not sure what made him do it. Maybe it was the setting, or Orihime, or his mind failing him, but he did not care. Even if she was upset, he just could not stop himself.

Staring back at him wide-eyed, her own cheeks had turned bright red, "Kurosaki-kun?"

"I'm sorry." he smiled, "I guess I did something really strange, huh?"

The man she was in love with just kissed _her_.

Jumping down from where she was sitting on the bars, he gasped as she threw her arms around his neck. Burying her face in his chest, she was clinging to him like he was going to be ripped away. For years, she had tried to imagine the sort of things she would say to him if she ever saw him again, but at the moment she could not remember any of them.

"Inoue?" he laid a hand on her head, "What's wrong?"

"Ichigo?"

"Eh-"

"I love you."

* * *

Shinji sat in the corner of Hiyori's room. It had been a while since she was awake. Long enough for Isshin Kurosaki to check her wounds and for Inoue to heal the more major ones. The truth was, that Hiyori had almost died and there was nothing that he could had done about it. Giving her his own energy would only go so far in the end. 

"So beating yourself up...dumbass." Shinji jerked, and looked up. She was glaring at him, with a slight smirk on her face, "Come here so I can beat the shit out of you."

He was on his feet, and he sat on the edge of her bed.

"You look pissed." she told him.

Shinji frowned, "How do you feel?"

"Like I got hit by a fucking bus. How do you think I feel?"

He looked away. _This was new, Shinji being depressed about something?_

"I'll be meeting with the others tomorrow morning, and we'll be in Hueco Mundo by the next day at the latest."

"What?!" Hiyori glared at him, "But I-"

"You'll stay here."

"Hirako-"

"I SAID NO!"

She gasped, gaping at him. His eyes were already turning black as he stood up, walking towards the window. Staring at the dark sky and letting the sound of the rain in his mind calm him, he let out a deep breath. If he got too angry, there would be problems. Keeping himself as calm as possible was the best way.

"You'll stay here." he repeated. "You've already done enough."

She returned to her glare, "I'm not weak, Shinji."

"No, you're not."

"You can't tell me what to do."

"Yes, I can."

"Oh?" she sat up, "Well you know what, Shinji? Fuck you. You can go to hell."

"I'm already going there, you're too late." he snapped back, "I'm going now to meet with Hansei. Stay here."

"Yes, sir."

Shinji sighed, "Look, Hiyori-"

"Just go away."

He sighed once more, and left. Once she heard the door click, Hiyori sunk against the headboard, staring at the rainy window. She was almost beaten to death by an Espada and a dozen Arancar and the only thing Shinji managed to say to her was a command to stay put.

"Stupid." she murmured to herself.

* * *

Byakuya sat in the meeting of the Kuchiki household. The squadrons for the final attack fleet were being assembled outside, and many of the younger Kuchiki members were missing because of it. As the head of the house, Byakuya could not skip these meetings for a war or otherwise. 

"...the approaching war will most likely claim many lives." Lyro Kuchiki, who was a rank lower then Byakuya, replied, "We must think about future implications about this."

"If we lose the war there will not be any future implications." Byakuya told him, "We will all be dead. That is a simple fact."

"Byakuya-sama..." one of the other members frowned, looking quite disturbed with Byakuya's reply, "We do not know that for sure. The Kuchiki House-"

"I am not arrogant enough to assume that will have more of an advantage then any of the other families." Byakuya told the council, "We lose, we die."

Lyro shook his head, "We must address all possibilities, Byakuya-sama. The Kazah House is impatient to set a date for the treaty and the wedding."

Byakuya did his best to follow the rules in life. But in the last fifty years he had been alive, he had been uprooted many times from his general routine. First Hisana, then disobeying his parents so many times, taking Rukia in, and then warning Renji about the arrangement. He was not used to sticking out his head like he was doing, nor was he used to lying to the clan.

"I urge the Kazah House to wait until after the war with Hueco Mundo ends."

It was a perfectly adequate request. There was not a lot to ask, just more waiting. Byakuya could deal with the morons in the Kazah clan anytime. But with the war and many other dangerous events coming up, many of the officials were restless and much less reasonable.

"I will speak with the head of the Kazah clan. But most likely they will want to hold a wedding before the assault." Lyro replied, "I suggest that you inform Rukia-sama of this."

Lyro Kuchiki had his own authority, being the eldest member of the council. Byakuya frequently relied on the old man's advice.

"Of course."

If he did not work fast, Rukia would be married in two days to Maroh Kazah.

* * *

They stumbled over the threshold of the apartment, almost falling into the front entry. Ichigo barely could find the mental capability to shut the apartment door, as his mind was fused on the young, brown-haired woman that was clinging to him. His strong arms had carried her most of the way up the stairs when he decided they were not moving fast enough. 

"Ichigo, shoes..." she breathed into his lips.

She had her legs wrapped around his waist, her fingers buried in his hair. He could not seem to stop himself from kissing her, but at the same time, he could not really remember how he got to this point anyway.

Sidewalk. Rain. Playground. Kiss.

That was all he could remember.

Tripping over the edge of the rug in the front entry, he finally fell to his knees. Dropping her almost unceremoniously on the floor over the step to the hall, he heard her gasp as he fell over the edge of the step onto top of her. It was good for him anyway, he was getting tired of just carrying her and not getting to touch her back.

"Orihime." he laid his hands onto her face, yanking her hair out of her face as he returned the kisses that she had been giving him all the way up the stairwell. When was the last time he took a breath? It was a long time ago.

"Shoes..."

"Forget the shoes."

When did they start on a first name basis, anyway? He did not care about that either. Ichigo rather liked her calling him by his first name, like it was something that she was always meant to do.

"What am I doing?" he asked her, dragging his mouth down her neck, "Stop me."

"Don't." she wrapped her arms around his neck, "Please, don't."

"You should hate me." he told her, "You should hate me for everything that happened to you-"

He felt her reach over his broad shoulders, and pull his shirt over his head. Letting it slide slowly from her fingers, her eyes did not leave his as a loud 'flop' echoed down the hallway from the soaking wet shirt. They were still wet from the rain.

"It wasn't your fault." she smiled at him, "It was never your fault. It was my fault for not trusting you."

"Orihime-"

"It was my fault." she said, "But you know...I'm ready to make up for it, I think. Before I was terrified of seeing you, because you would think I betrayed you."

"I didn't think that."

"I know. But it was always in the back of my mind." she told him, "I loved you for a long time. Before Hueco Mundo, before the Soul Society...I think it would have killed me if you hated me. So, I would have rather suffered with the Arancar than known for sure."

He stared at her, unable to contemplate what to say in reply. In the back of his mind, he never really thought that much about anything that he did. The fact that she was so concerned about it made him concerned.

"I never hated you." he rest his forehead on hers, "I could never hate you."

"I'm sorry." she apologized, "I'm sorry that I-"

"We won't think about that right now." he told her, "For once, can I just be Kurosaki Ichigo, the high school teacher that leads a perfectly normal, human-mortal life?"

Orihime felt sorry for him sometimes in that aspect. Ichigo was sucked into his Vizard-Shinigami life by force. It was obvious that if he _could_ go back to his normal life he would. Smiling brightly at him, and then pulling his face down to hers once more, she kissed him. It was the sort of kiss that he could lose himself in, if there was anything else for him to lose at that moment. Ichigo was pretty sure that he was lost at the first kiss in the park.

"Sure." she told him.

Almost before she could speak the word, her own shirt was tugged over her head and tossed aside. He did not even seem to notice the red tint on her cheeks, or he noticed and did not acknowledge it.

The storm was still going on outside. Once in a while, lightening would flash and a loud thunder would shake the building like always. Normally, Orihime would have been slightly unnerved by the severe thunderstorm outside. But as she lay on the floor of Ichigo's apartment, nothing else seemed to register at the moment.

It was not until he was inside her, his arms stretched out on either side of her head, his face buried in her shoulder that any rational thought began to return to his mind.

"Hell..." he murmured into her shoulder, "...there was something I forgot to say."

"What?" she whispered into his ear, turning her face so she could hear his barely audible voice.

"I love you, Orihime."

* * *

Grimmjaw wandered down the hallway, stopping in front of Orihime's villa. Normally, around this time, he would bang on the door right as she was getting out of the bath and tease her about something, or start another argument with her. It had been days now, almost a week or so, since he had argued with her. It had become such a daily routine for him that now he did not know what to do with his time. 

Touching the handle for the door, it was unlocked. There was nothing stopping him from going inside. Looking around the quiet room, his fingers moved slowly over the things that were scattered over the desk, and the hutch that was in her room. She did not have many things, but enough to make the room appear like someone was living there.

There were newly pressed, washed uniforms still left in the closet. It was then that he realized her old school uniform was still hanging there, wrapping in a plastic clothes bag. This did not surprise him. To keep something from that far back, it was probably the only thing she had with her at the time from her old life.

Turning around towards the balcony, he sighed. The plant on the railing was a desert sort, something that she had found in the sands of Hueco Mundo. Even though water helped, the plant could live hundreds of years without it. It was something that he was not familiar with, however, and heading towards it, he realized what it was.

White lilies with black streaks. They were planted in the white sand that surrounded the castle, and the petals were soft when he touched them. It was nothing like the stone-rock 'plants' that were native to the area. He also realized why it was he was drawn to them, they were laced with her own reiatsu.

"You should know better then to come into Orihime's room without permission, Grimmjaw-sama." Tak was standing behind him. He had sensed her coming in the room.

"She's not here, so who the fuck is here to care?" he snapped.

"I care."

Grimmjaw glared at her, "What is this?"

"Hana Ryu."

"Eh?"

"Flower Dragon." Tak told him, "Orihime-san's training seemed to pay off in the end, I suppose."

"Training?"

"Orihime-san has the powers of the gods." Tak told him, "You didn't expect her to survive here without becoming stronger, did you?"

"What does that have to do with the plant?"

Tak then smirked, "You'll see, Grimmjaw-sama."

* * *

Orihime was laying in bed, her head resting on Ichigo's shoulder. At one point, he had finished undressing them and carried her into the room, tucking her into bed before collapsing exhausted next to her. Curling up at his side, she had promptly fallen asleep. 

They were both tired. More tired then they realized. Years of fighting, dying, and emotional turmoil was more then anyone could handle. All she wanted to do was sleep by his side, feeling legitimately happy for the first time in her life. She had fallen asleep with the man she loved, and whe she woke up, he would still be there.

Orihime opened her eyes slightly, just to check to see if he was still there. There was always a chance that this was just some dream, and any moment her maid would be banging on her villa door with breakfast and a new list of injured patients.

Ichigo was half wake, and sensed her watching. He smiled gently at her, ruffling her hair with his fingers.

"Hey."

"Hey." she blushed, "I'm sorry, did I wake you?"

"No, I feel like I could sleep for a week though." he told her, kissing her forehead, "Go to sleep, Orihime."

"You'd better sleep too." she smiled, closing her eyes.

"Yes, ma'am." he chuckled.

He rolled over so his arms were around her. Resting his chin on her head, he fell asleep as quickly as a soldier who was sleeping on a battlefront. Smiling once more to herself, she buried her face in his neck, and slept.

* * *

_Send me a review and tell me what you think! I don't know for sure if I am going to be able to update next week, but I will try. _

_For those of you that did not read my Author's Note at the bottom of the last chapter. PLEASE read it. I've been getting a lot of reviews and messages about names, comic references, and other things. I'm not getting annoyed or anything, but I am getting a little tired of having to explain it over and over. So PLEASE read the note at the bottom of the last chapter._

_Arigato,_

_Lilith _


	18. Chapter 18

_I'm back! School is over and I'm home again. Here is the next chapter, I hope you like it! _

_Thank you **gmsephiroth** for the beta! _

_Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach  
_

* * *

Orihime opened her eyes, and yawned. 

Ichigo was still asleep, his face buried in the pillow. He had flipped over onto his chest, but his left hand was still holding onto hers. Even when he was asleep it seemed he did not want to let go of her.

She smiled, kissing the side of his face. He groaned and buried further into the pillows.

"Good morning." she smiled, kissing his cheek once more.

"Morning." he murmured, "Too early."

Orihime giggled, he looked absolutely adorable fast asleep with his face smashed into a pillow. Pulling the covers closer to him, she slide out of the large bed and ruffled through the closet for some clothes. Managing to find a pair of his shorts and a t-shirt, she headed down the hallway to take a shower.

The shorts fell past her knees as she needed a belt to keep them on, and the t-shirt fell well past her waist. Wandering around the apartment, she gathered up their wet clothes from last night, as well as some other clothes and towels from around the other rooms, and put them in the washer. She could not really wear his clothes outside the apartment, it would be too embarrassing.

Moving onto the kitchen, she found the supplies on the shelves, and heated a pan on the stove.

* * *

Ichigo sniffed, something smelled really good. He sat up, finally noticing that Orihime was already up. Yawning widely, he slipped on a pair of shorts and disappeared in the shower. It was earlier than normal for him to get up on summer vacation. Usually, he would sleep in and not get up until Yuzu called him about getting breakfast. 

When he emerged from the shower, got dressed, and as he was still drying his hair he found her standing at the stove making scrambled eggs. Humming to herself, there was an apron tied around the clothes she was wearing, or rather his clothes. Orihime was completely oblivious to the fact that Ichigo was standing in the doorway to the kitchen with a large grin on his face.

He could get used to this.

She started slightly when his arms slipped around her, feeling him leaned his head on her shoulder.

"Morning." he told her, pressing a kiss to her neck.

"Good morning."

"You're making me breakfast."

She laughed, "Yup, I missed cooking and I thought this would be the perfect occasion for bacon and eggs."

"Sounds good." he nodded, leaning on her as he reached over to steal a piece of bacon. Orihime was a great cook. Ever since he had known her, she had been able to cook a whole variety of dishes. Ones that made sense, and at times, dishes that he was sure no one else would eat but her.

"Um...Ichigo?" she blushed.

"Yeah?" he asked.

"Uh...um...be careful. My back is a little sore."

His cheeks instantly turned scarlet, and he buried his face in her hair, taking a little weight off her. _Her back hurt..._

"Sorry." he murmured into her neck, "I wasn't...paying attention." he was not referring to that present moment.

She laughed out loud then, "It's not big deal." she turned her head and pecked him on the lips, "It was well worth it."

His cheeks were more bright than his hair.

"You hungry?" she held up the frying pan.

Ichigo smiled, sitting at the table, "Yeah."

She sat at the table, dressed in his clothes, eating breakfast. For some reason, he could not stop himself from glancing at her once in a while. Orihime was smiling to herself, completely and utterly content at the moment.

"Um, Orihime?"

"Hn?"

She had just returned from Hueco Mundo. Despite the fact that her old apartment was now back, and she had plenty of other places that she could stay, he wanted her to live with him. It was a lot to think about, considering the fact that she had only been back for a short time, but he genuinely wanted her to stay.

Orihime watched him curiously.

He blushed again, his eyes straying towards the window, "I...uh...wanted to ask you something."

**Come on, Majesty, you can do it.**

Zangetsu had remained pretty quiet until then, something that Ichigo was glad of. He mentally glared at the alter ego in his mind.

"Yes?" Orihime asked.

"I-"

**Open your mouth and tell her, dumbass.**

"I want you to stay with me!"

He said it really fast and practically yelled it in her face. Orihime blinked a few moments, and then she beamed at him.

"Okay."

That was that.

* * *

A limo pulled in front of the Kurosaki residence. 

It was rare in these parts of the city that someone of high social status would appear. Except for the Golden Week festival, and some other cultural events, generally those who were more wealthy stayed up in the higher-class part of the town.

Stepping out of the limo, after the door was opened by the driver, was a tall business woman. She was dressed in an expensive black suit, with matching black pumps, with a leather purse hanging from her shoulder. She could not help but smile brightly at the Kurosaki Clinic as she knocked on the door.

It opened, and Karin frowned, "Yeah?"

"Is Hirako Shinji-san here?"

Karin glared at her, and then turned around, "Hirako-san!"

Shinji had not seen Yadomaru Risa in a while, but he was aware of her success. Risa smiled as he marched over to her, "Hurry up."

Karin and Risa exchanged looks. Shinji was not in a good mood.

Hansei greeted her when she came in, "So, how is the pervert business going?"

"Jackass." Risa sat on the edge of the table, legs crossed, "I am not a pervert."

"Having a multi-million dollar company that sells women's lingerie makes you a pervert."

This was the regular conversation that Hansei and Risa generally had. Risa, who had already married four years ago and had three children, was the CEO of one of the wealthiest lingerie companies in the world. She had started out as a model when she graduated high school, and gone on to start her own companies that sold cosmetics and various clothes.

"Watch it Hansei." Rose entered the room, "She's quite the little firecracker at the negotiation table. You probably don't want to piss her off."

"Well spoken." Risa smiled.

Rove and Rose had interesting lives as well. Rose ran his own model agency, and Rove was a drummer in one of the top rock bands in the nation. Mashiro ran her own clothes designing buisness as well.

Shinji was somewhat glad to see his old friends again. He had already sent messages out to the other Vizards around the word, in hopes to get their promise to help. There was a good chance that they would be alone in their mission, but it was probable that other members of the organization would want a chance for victory against the Arancars.

Hachi was upstairs speaking to Hiyori, who was currently not speaking to Shinji. He did not have time to go in and suck up to Hiyori. There was no way that he was going to let her fight in her condition no matter how upset she was with him.

"So, Detective-" Risa leaned over, "-who is this girl that Shinji was telling me about?"

"Eh?"

Shinji suddenly smirked, Risa was not one to keep secrets, and neither was he.

"What's her name..." Hirako flopped in the chair, "...Arisawa Tatsuki?"

Hansei glared at his commander, "Screw you, Hirako."

Everyone laughed as a light shade of pink rest on the detective's cheeks.

"Okay, people, we got to focus." Shinji waved a hand, silencing everyone, "We have a set date for the invasion of Hueco Mundo. We're shipping out tomorrow."

There was a silence in the room.

"Ichigo will be fighting with us, and the Seireitei has promised to defend from their front. We'll use our powers to break through the gates of Las Noches. The Soul Society will be putting together a force that will be backing us up."

"So-" Hansei leaned back into his chair, "-what do we have to do to pay them back for that generous off?"

"We will be the ones facing the Espada." Shinji replied, "A few of the captains may lend aid, but we are essentially facing the more powerful Arancar on our own."

Everyone glanced at each other. There was nothing they could really do about it. The whole deal was already shaky as it was, and it was generally true that the Vizards were stronger than the Shinigami.

"Deal." Risa said, swinging her legs on the table, "I don't see a way around it anyway."

"Good." Shinji stood, "Meet here at noon tomorrow."

Everyone dispersed, and after they left, Hachigen stood in the doorway. Shinji was once again staring out of the window.

"Her Hollow powers are under control. The energy you gave her saved her life." Hachi told him.

"I know."

"Go talk to her. You'll regret it if you don't."

"No."

Hachi sighed, everyone he knew was too stubborn for his own good. Shinji brushed the curtains aside, gazing outside. He seemed to be doing a lot of that lately, but for some reason he just found the sky very interesting to look at.

"Shinji-kun?" Hachi frowned, "Are you prehaps...feeling guilty about what happened to Hiyori-san?"

There was a muffled thump as Hirako's head rested on the window. He could not stop thinking about it, and it was starting to cloud his judgment. Rushing half-cocked into this war would be deadly, even for him, and would get his entire squadron slaughtered.

"Hiyori and I come from wealthy families and we were arranged into a marriage pact when we were young children, did you know that, Hachi?" Shinji replied, "At first I hated her."

Hachi continued to watch grimly.

"That was back when my powers started to wake. It was horrible, facing it by myself. The constant nightmares, breaking glasses in my hands without meaning too...I even broke a chair once by touching it." Shinji chuckled, "Then when I saved her that night, I found out that she had the same powers as me, and I didn't feel as insecure about it."

Shinji turned around, and there was a sad smile on his face, "After getting drafted into the Seireitei, and all the mess we had with them, she was really the only person I had keeping me sane. That's why I was willing to live in that apartment over a cafe for the rest of my life, because she was there."

"Why are you telling me this and not telling it to her?"

"Everyone's getting someone these days, it seems." Shinji laughed, "Hansei even managed to find someone that was willing to put up with that jackass-brash attitude of his."

"With all that energy you gave Hiyori-san, you will not be as strong as you are at full power."

That was the main point that was worrying Hirako. After giving up so much reiatsu that is not easily reclaimed in the first place, he would only be able to face up to a three or four level Espada instead of being able to go all the way to the top. That made Aizen out of the question, as well as the other Shinigami traitors.

"I will make it work. I always do." Shinji sighed, rubbing his head, "I'm going to go take a nap. I didn't sleep at all last night."

Hachi watched the Vizard commander disappear up the stairs. He made a face and headed to the kitchen to get some of the good tea that Ichigo's younger sister was making.

_Young people these days are so hard to figure out._

* * *

Shinji stood outside his room, and found his eyes looking at the door next to it. Hiyori was sleeping, he could tell by sensing her reiatsu. How come he could never stay angry with her? Maybe that was a good sign if they ever did end up having to go through that arranged marriage crap. 

Before he knew it, his hand was turning the door knob, and he went in. She was turned at her side, facing towards him. When the door opened, her eyes cracked open. Seeing Shinji there, she frowned, "I don't feel like dealing with you right now-"

"I'm tired."

"Then go to sleep, idiot."

"Move over."

Hiyori glared at him, "What?"

Shinji shut the door and slipped off his jacket, setting it on the chair, "Move over."

Before she could protest, he pulled back the sheets and climbed in next to her. He tucked his arm under the pillow and yawned, "Turn around."

"So many god damn orders." she murmured, rolling over so her back was towards him, "I'm not your frickin' maid-"

She froze as his arms slipped around her, resting his head on the top of hers. Her back pressed up against his chest, and she could hear his slow breathing.

"I'm really tired." he murmured, "I'm going to take a nap for a while..."

He was asleep.

After being awake so many nights in a row to go to the Soul Society, to go to the treaty talks, to deal with the incident in Karakura, and to be up late getting everyone together, Hiyori began to feel a little sorry for him. Shinji Hirako was the person everyone relied on and looked up to when there was a problem. Being the strongest out of the Vizards, it was no surprise.

She took his hand that was draped on her waist, and slipped her fingers through his. He was exhausted, and the sleep would do him some good.

Maybe she would let him get away with it just this once.

* * *

Ichigo strolled down the street, heading in the direction of the Clinic. He had to check in with everyone and see what was going on, and Inoue was going to stop at the grocery store on the way back. Looking down as a hand grabbed onto his, and he smiled, "It's a really nice day out." 

Orihime laughed, "You're in a good mood."

"Course." he said, "So what are we having for dinner?"

"I don't know yet." she made a face that told Ichigo that she was thinking, "I was thinking of a few things, but I couldn't decide."

"As long as its not peanut butter and leeks, I'll be fine with anything you make."

She laughed again. Glancing over at the river, she stared at it in surprise, "Wow, it's really high."

"It rained a lot last night." Ichigo replied, "The paper said there was flooding downstream."

Letting go of his hand, she ran towards the river, dipping her hand in it.

"It's cold." she shivered.

"Well, duh." he chuckled, "It's still spring too, so the water is cold from the winter."

"I really missed this place." she smiled, "As much as I always wanted to go do amazing things, I always loved it here."

"Yeah." he nodded, one of his hands resting on her head.

Ichigo was in a good mood even for him, but there was something that felt off. Since this morning he could have sworn there was another reiatsu in the area that he never felt before, but it had disappeared before he pinpoint where it was.

It was back again.

"What's wrong, Ichigo?" Orihime asked, looking up at him worriedly.

"I don't know, I just feel something...odd." he said, "Like-"

She felt it now too, and he could tell because all the color instantly drained from her face, and her hand was gripping tightly on his sleeve, "Its..."

"Orihime?" he frowned, looking around once more.

"It's a pity that it took you this long to sense me." a voice cackled, "I would have thought the great black-zanpakuto wielding Kurosaki would have noticed."

They both turned around to see the figure perched on top of the building, his scythe resting on his back. Noitora smirked at them, "Long time no see, Hime-chan."

"Noitora." Orihime took a step back, "We have to get out of here, Ichigo. We have to-"

"What the hell do you want?" Ichigo snapped, glaring at the Espada, "Get the hell out of my city."

"Tsk." he leapt down from his seat, landing gracefully in front of Ichigo, who was now standing in front of Orihime, "How quickly we forget, Hime, of whom you really belong too."

"Stay away from her." Ichigo took a step back, holding Orihime behind him, "And she doesn't belong to anyone."

"Such chivalry." Noitora chuckled, "Its a pity such virtues are now lost in the Universe. Come, Hime-chan, it is time to return."

Orihime glared at him, "I'm not going."

Silence.

Noitora stared at her a moment, and then smiled, "I was hoping you'd say that."

Ichigo watched as Noitora drew the large scythe and the blade sliced through the air straight towards Ichigo and Orihime.

* * *

_Finals are over! This means I can concentrate on the story again. There aren't too many chapters left, but I can promise you the ending will be really good. :D_

_Lately, I've been slowly going threw chapters to correct name spelling mistakes and other things. It will take me a long time to go through all the chapters, but there won't be any revises to the actual story.  
_

_Send a review and tell me what you think._

_Arigato_

_Lilith_


	19. Chapter 19

_Hey everyone!_

_Sorry it took so long to update. I was revising some things, and I finally decided to delete the oneshot that I originally had set as chapter 18. So now it's no longer there. I apologize to everyone out there who read the author's notes that I made about 2-3 times throughout the fic about the original chapter 18. **Please** remember to read my author notes I make, sometimes they have really important information in them. Thanks again for your patience._

_Information about the two new Bleach fics that will be coming out after this on will be posted on my LJ soon as well as my profile.  
_

_Disclaimer: I do own Bleach._

* * *

Ishida lay awake in bed, staring at the ceiling. Unohana had given him his own room away from the infirmary, trying to keep his uneasiness down to a minimum. Despite the fact that Ishida hated Shinigamis, he could not help but respect the woman doctor for putting up with so much complaining around the Seireitei. 

Getting up, he frowned at the ache in his shoulder. He was still very sore from healing.

_Wounds..._

Suddenly the past events flooded into his mind. Nemu? Where was she? Pulling himself to his feet, his senses jumped to alert status. Opening the door, he froze in his spot to find the person in question standing outside his door holding a tray of tea.

"You're okay." he sighed.

"Mayuri-sama healed me." she said, "I was told that you were still resting."

Ishida stepped aside to let her in. He frowned, "Who knows-"

"Unohana-taicho assured me that no one knows I am here." she said, setting the tray down, "You need not worry. She also told that that once your wounds are healed, you may return back to your home."

There was a certain note of irritation in her voice. She thought he was leaving after this and never returning. Nemu knew that he hated the Seireitei, and Shinigamis, and everything to do with them. If he could, he would stay away from them all together.

That would be the wise, sensible thing to do.

Ishida had realized not to long ago that life was not sensible or logical. There was always a wild element that he would never be able to control. In this case, there was a lack of connection between his mind and his heart. That had been one of the few things that he had learned at his stay at the monstary.

The other thing he had learned, was that if he wanted something down to the fiber of his soul he should take it otherwise he would regret it for the rest of his life.

"I won't be leaving."

"What?" she was unable to hide her shock as he sat down and took a sip of tea, "What do you mean?"

Ishida took another sip, and then set the cup down.

"Because the thing I want to protect is here."

Her mouth literally dropped open.

* * *

Isshin Kurosaki sat at the table, sipping a glass of whiskey. It was late nights like these that he sat down and had a drink. Back when Misaki was alive, they used to sit up late after the children were asleep and simply talk. After her death, he had become so used to staying up late that he was physically unable to go to sleep before a certain time. 

Ichigo and Orihime were three hours late.

There were a two explanations that Isshin could come up for this. They were fighting Hollows, or they were...up to other activities that had nothing to do with fighting the undead. Isshin personally thought that despite the fact that he was a little crazy, he was not stupid.

The clock ticked.

He did not like this feeling. Something was going on and he could not help but second guess himself. Standing up, he drained the rest of the glass and set it in the sink. He spied Hachi sitting his house at this point.

Pulling the door open, he caught Hachi's attention, "I'm stepping out a moment. Will you watch the house?"

"Of course, Isshin-san."

Isshin nodded and shut the door, pulling on his jacket and shoes.

It was breezy outside, and the sky was dark. The news had talked about a high possibility of rain, which was bothersome. There had already been so much rain that there was talk of the river flooding.

His senses spiked.

There was someone with an enormous amount of reiatsu coming towards him. The energy signature felt strange, like it was a flickering candle.

Isshin whipped around to see who it was and gasped.

Ichigo was clinging to the edge of the retaining wall that bordered the sidewalk. Looking up, Isshin realized with horror that his son was drenched in blood.

"...D-Dad..."

"Ichigo!"

Running forward, he caught his eldest son as Ichigo sunk to the pavement. Quickly laying the injured person down with practiced ease, Isshin begin to see the full extent of Ichigo's injuries. It looked like the poor boy had been put threw a meat grinder.

"...Ori...hime..."

"Shh." Isshin snapped, scooping Ichigo up into his arms. Carrying the young man effortlessly down the street, he stormed into the front door of the Kurosaki Clinic.

* * *

"I need help down here!" Isshin roared as the door slammed shut behind him. 

"...Dad..." Ichigo grabbed a hold of Isshin's collar as he was set onto a hospital table, "Listen-"

"Shut up, Ichigo."

Hachigen came in with the commotion. Isshin could hear Yuzu and Karin rushing downstairs, and watched as the big man put his hands on Ichigo's chest. With a glowing light, much like Orihime's powers, he began to heal the jagged gashes.

"Who did this too you?" Isshin leaned over.

"Arracnar." Ichigo flinched. It felt like all the bones in his body were crushed, and they probably were. Hachigen was healing him, but Ichigo had spent the last twenty minutes after gaining consciousness at the riverbank dragging himself down the street.

"Niissan!" Yuzu screamed as she rushed over, followed by Karin.

"No need for alarm, I can heal him." Hachi replied, seeming like it was no undertaking despite the violent wounds.

"What happened?" Isshin questioned, "Why did the Arrancar attack you?"

"To get Orihime back." Ichigo replied, "They wanted her back. I tried to stop them but..." he was suddenly silent. Isshin watched as Ichigo laid a hand over his eyes. As a young boy, it had been a tactic that Ichigo had used to make it look like he was not going to cry. After the twins had been born, Ichigo had always tried his best to look like the strong one in the family, "...those bastards took her. They took her away from me."

* * *

Orihime sat, once again, on the windowsill of her villa. Staring at the white and black plant sitting on the railing of the balcony, she began to wonder if Tak had been taking care of it while she had been away. 

Aizen had promptly struck her across the face when she stepped through the gate and told her she was restricted to her quarters until she had gray hair. Orihime had simply walked silently down the hallway, still in shock after watching Noitora completely obliterate Ichigo. The scene of watching the huge blade slice through the man that she loved would be ingrained in her memory for the rest of her life.

"You knew that we would get you back."

She was silent at the voice that suddenly came from the corner of the room. When coming through the gate, she had tried her best to ignore Grimmjaw's gaze from the corner of the room.

Orihime continued to not speak, and turned back to gazing out at the dead expanse of the gray plains.

"You'll have to talk eventually." the Espada moved from the edge of the room to stand by her. He made a disgusted face as he drew a piece of her hair into his hand, "You smell like a Shinigami."

"So what?"

It was the first thing she had said in the past five hours.

"Kurosaki." Grimmjaw frowned, "I smell that bastard's scent all over you."

"Good."

He grabbed her back the arm and viciously yanked her off the window, and raised his own hand to strike her. She was so infuriating that the only thing he wanted to do at the moment was whack sense into her.

His hand froze.

Orihime was staring back at him like she did not care he was just about to slap her silly. In fact, her cheek was still bruised after being hit by Aizen.

"Go ahead." she said, "Kill me."

"Maybe I will."

"You always told me you would. What's stopping you now?"

"I don't need to beat a woman to feel confident about myself."

"I think you're a coward."

"I don't give a flying fuck what you think." he grabbed both of her shoulders and shoved her against the wall, "So how was it?"

"Excuse me?"

"How as it?" he asked, his face only inches from hers. His voice was dark and spoke with a sarcastic trill that he was known for. Grimmjaw was not simply angry with her, he was livid. "Getting to do it with Kurosaki."

"Damn you."

She would have slapped him if he had not trapped her.

"You dreamed about it." he sneered, his blue eyes bore into her mind, "You're in love with him."

"Let me go, Grimmjaw."

"What do you think..." his lips were about to touch hers, "...should I wash his scent off you?"

Her eyes snapped open and he watched as there was nothing but rage filled in them.

"Santen Kasshun, I repel thee!"

Grimmjaw jumped backwards in time to miss being crushed by the glowing shield that was now surrounding her.

"Either you kill me or don't, its your choice." she said, "But I will kill myself before I spend another moment in this place."

* * *

Aizen stood in the war room, a look of utter annoyance on his face. Tousen regarded him with a certain caution, knowing that Aizen was a loose cannon that could go off anytime. 

"Commence the attack."

"Sir?" Tousen looked up.

"Order them all to the Seireitei. I don't have the patience any more for this game. Send the appropriate squad to Karakura to begin the preparations for the soul harvest. I want everything in place and be able to begin the ceremony for extraction within the hour. Destroy who and what you need to, I don't care anymore."

_Within the hour_.

* * *

The alarm went off in the building. 

Grimmjaw cursed, they had decided to dispatch the crews right away. He knew in the back of his mind that it was going to happen. Still locked in a stare-down match with Orihime, he stood up straight and shoved his hands in his pockets.

"Do or don't do whatever you want. I don't give a shit anymore." he turned towards the exit.

Orihime watched him leave, well aware of the fact that he was more enraged and hurt then he was appearing. He tried to make it look like he was disgusted by the mere sight of her, which was an obvious lie. Grimmjaw always tried to bend or break the rules in whatever way he could, so lying about what he was really thinking was no big deal to him.

"Come back with me."

She knew that when it came down to it, Grimmjaw needed to be away from Hueco Mundo and Aizen.

He gasped, and turned to her with a genuine look of shock on his face.

The shield still held as she walked towards him, "You don't like it here, Grimmjaw, so come back with me. You want you're own life as much as I do."

Betray Aizen completely? As much as he wanted to be free of the hell that he was in, the loyalty to Aizen had been so ingrained in the soul of an Arrancar that not one could deny it, not even he. Despite this, him wanting to leave Los Noches and finally be an individual was a good temptation.

"You overstep your bounds." Grimmjaw glared at her.

"I don't have any bounds with you. I never did." she then gave him a small smile, "Let's get out of here. I'm sure there is something we could set you up with back in the real world."

"Real world, huh?"

Hueco Mundo was the real world to him, and the human world was a bunch of idiots. What was there for him anyway? At least in Hueco Mundo he had strength and status.

"I need to leave." he said, "The Karakura squad will be leaving. I need to be there."

"Grimmjaw-"

He was out of the door before she could stop him.

* * *

Maroh ran down the hallways towards Rukia's quarters. They were going to get married in two days and he would finally have this whole conflict out of his hair. 

To have an alliance with the Kuchiki family meant that his own family would achieve a wealth and status they would not normally be able to reach. Rukia Kuchiki was a symbol for accomplishment in his family's eyes, and they needed to be married in order for his family to become more than they already were.

Abarai was with her in her office. Maroh plastered himself against the wall in hopes that he could hear them speaking.

"...Kuchiki-taicho will cut me to pieces. _Again_." Renji continued.

"But if we don't tell him then he'll be more upset." Rukia said, "You know him, he would rather be let in on the big secret than be outside the loop and stumble into it."

"But-"

"Oniisama is a sensible person. He will understand and break off the engagement."

_What?,_ Maroh frowned.

Renji stood at the window, "You're willing to do that for me?"

Rukia smiled up at Renji, "Of course. I love you, you idiot."

Maroh's eyes grew wide, _she what?_

"Be careful." Renji shook his head, grinned, "I'm barely restraining myself as it is."

The door yanked open, and Renji and Rukia stared in shock at Maroh Kazah in the doorway. The young man glared at them both, and then his face grew soft.

"Oh, you have company, Rukia." he said, "I did not mean to disturb you. I have news from the council, but I suppose I could come by later."

Renji seemed to advert his eyes to look back out the window, but he was keeping close tabs on Kazah.

"It's okay, you can tell me." Rukia said nonchalantly.

"I believe it would be better discussed alone-"

"What?" Renji chuckled, "Are you afraid I'm gonna eat you?"

"I'm not afraid of you, Vice-Captain Abarai." Kazah shot a dark glance at Renji.

"It's alright, don't mind Renji." Rukia waved it off.

"Fine then." Kazah replied, "We will be getting married in two days."

There was a loud sound of wood crunching as Renji's grip shattered the windowsill. Rukia stood up, "What?!"

"It was decided." Maroh walked towards her, "In two days, you and I will be married." then his eyes strayed back to Renji, and he smirked, "Anyone who interferes with the wedding plans will be either dishonorably discharged from the Soul Society or exiled from the Seireitei. This does not exclude yourself, Rukia."

There was silence. Maroh stepped forward, and kissed her. Then turn on a heel and out of the door. Rukia did not know what to say. Looking at Renji, he bent over to pick up his sword that leaned against the wall.

"Renji?"

If he stayed there, he would only be getting her in more trouble. With one look that he intended to be the last, he said,

"Good-bye Rukia."

She gasped as he walked out of the door. Just about as she was going to run after him, a strange sense crept into her thoughts.

_No...its too early..._

* * *

Ishida stood up from the floor, and yanked the shutters to his room open. In the distance he could see the lights from hundred of portholes. The Menos Grande were already on the front doorstep, and the armies of Arancar were emerging from the other realm. 

It looked like this time he was going to be fighting to defend the Shinigami.

"They're here." Nemu replied absently from where she sat on the floor. She had enough time to take a sip of her tea when the alert alarm filled the Seireitei.

* * *

_I'm going to try and finish the story in 3 chapters. I don't know if I'll be able to. Maybe 4. :P_

_There will be **two** new Bleach stories that will be started after Five Years is finished. 'Enemy At the Gates' will be a sequel to this story, and will have a few new characters that I hope everyone will enjoy. The next story will be 'Shadows on the Wall' which will be released towards the end of Five Years ::around the middle of June::._

_ Arigato_

_Lilith_


	20. Chapter 20

_Hello everyone! Sorry for the late update. There has been a lot going on, but I'm trying to press forward with the story. I hope you all enjoy it. :D_

_This chapter is more or less dedicated to two friends of mine who left for the military in the last few weeks. Good luck to them and everyone else who may be heading off to boot camp this summer! Keep safe everyone!_

_Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach_

* * *

Hitsugaya lay in bed, listening to the commotion outside. Hinamori had left his side for a moment to check on the status of her squad. The third seat was in charge of the 10th Division, and Hitsugaya found himself wondering about the whereabouts of Matsumoto Rangiku. 

He was still injured, and for some reason, his mind was having a hard time getting a jump start. What he needed to do was go and help his squad, instead of laying around the infirmary. With the approaching reiatsu's of the Arancar, Hitsugaya found himself sitting up.

He was not a coward.

Pulling the robe over his shoulders, he buckled Hiyorinmaru to his side.

* * *

There was a shuffle of feet down the hallway that only matched Captain Hinamori Momo's feet. Normally, Hitsugaya would have recognized her sounds right away without the aid of his spirit senses. 

"Shirou-kun!" Momo called, opening the door to his room. "Shirou-kun?"

He was gone.

* * *

Ishida stood in his room, watching the first line of Arancar breech the city walls. Nemu had already left quietly without him noticing, and he found himself standing alone in his hospital room. Lifting his arm slowly, he stared at the bracelet that dangled from his wrist. 

Maybe he was simply meant to be here at this given moment. Without him fighting as well, the Seireitei would most likely fall, and that would tip the war greatly in favor of Aizen. Although Ishida had promised his father that he would not do anything for Shinigami, Ishida had found an easy way around it.

He would be doing everything for himself.

This was the point in his life where he could finally redeem himself. For all the years of hiding away like a coward, this was his first chance to fix all of those mistakes. Besides, it was clear enough to him that if he did not fight the Arancar at the Soul Society, he would simply end up fighting them in Karakura anyway.

Zeele Schneider was laying on the dresser in his room. All five sword hilts were clipped onto the belt, and Ishida drew one to inspect it, flipping the blade in his hand as if he was some sort of outlaw checking his gun before a shoot-out. He did not care that his ceremonial robes were left back in the human realm, it was too late to worry about it. Pulling off his sweater, he strapped the belt to his waist.

"Leaving?" a calm voice came from the hallway.

Unohana smiled softly at him as Ishida emerged from his room.

"I can't stay here. This place needed more defense."

"You are not a Shinigami." she told him, "Everyone seen not wearing an armband for a squad division will be killed on sight."

"I am not worried." Ishida replied, tucking in his sleeveless back shirt and tightening the sword belt around his waist.

Unohana then reached into her sleeve and pulled out an armband for the 4th Division. Ishida made a face and stepped back, "I refuse to help-"

"You are not helping Shinigami, you are doing this for yourself, yes?" Unohana Retsu smiled, "But allowing us to help you does not violate that frame of mind, Ishida-san."

Ishida watched as Unohana stuck a 4th Division band on his bare arm.

"She's always been waiting for you, although I don't think she even realized it herself." Unohana replied, "Do not forget, Ishida-san, that you are yourself. Do not allow petty arguments of the past deny what you truly need to life to be happy."

He was taken back by her statement, and then he stepped back, bowing low to her.

"Thank you, Unohana-san, for everything you have done for me." he said, "I detest the Shinigami all the way to the bottom of my soul-" Ishida stood, "-but in the battle against Hueco Mundo we are all equals."

She watched him rustle off towards the front line. There was no doubt in her mind that Ishida and Nemu were going to turn out alright in the end. When the battle was over, Unohana was thinking about setting up a observation station in Karakura. Nemu seemed like the perfect candidate to run the research program.

Unohana chuckled to herself and headed to the Healing Room. There were already injured waiting for her healing hands.

* * *

Ichigo stood in the street next to Harako, and they were ready to leave for Hueco Mundo. The notice of the attach beginning has reached them, and some of the other Vizards were staying behind to defend the city. Since Aizen moved earlier than planned, the other Vizard communities around the world were on high alert, and some had answered Shinji's call for help. 

"Take care, kid." Isshin stood in the doorway. Ichigo had no doubt that his father would be putting his two cents into the fight before everything was over.

"I'm not coming back until I get her."

"I know." Isshin patted his shoulder, "I expected you to say that."

"Dad-"

Before he could say another word, Isshin yanked him roughly into his arms, "I'm expecting a few good grandkids out of you and Orihime. Don't let me down, Ichigo. I won't let you hear the end of it if you chicken out."

Ichigo chuckled, despite the red blush that crept up his cheeks, "Don't worry about that just yet, Dad."

Isshin shoved him off, "Not get outta here. I'm going to be busy soon."

Ichigo nodded, and Isshin watched as the Vizards disappeared down the street.

"Looks like our boy is all grown up, huh?" Isshin took a cigarette out of his pocket. This was June 16th, the anniversary of Misaki's death. Ichigo had woken up at five that morning to visit her grave before he had to leave for the battle.

_Looks like it, dear._

Isshin laughed to himself, blowing a long stream of smoke before sticking cigarette back in his mouth.

"We're in for a tough ride this time, Misaki. I don't know what the end is like this time."

_Valuable fights are always that way. That's what makes them so important._

"True." he closed his eyes. He could almost feel the soft hand rest on his shoulder and it still seemed like if he opened his eyes, she would be standing there smiling up at him, "Watch over him, please."

_I always am._

Isshin could sense the inter-dimensional portholes opening down the block, and made sure his zanpakuto was firmly attached to his waist before finishing the rest of his cigarette.

* * *

Ichigo slashed through the smaller level Arancars. It seemed like they had appeared right on top of the little party of Vizards, and now they were completely surrounded by enemies. Calling his bankai out this early would only sacrifice the margin of victory he would have over Aizen. 

"We don't have time for this!" Hansei roared, "We don't have time to screw around with these guys!"

Risa flicked her sword through the air, slicing through another Arancar, "There are too many of them. The way to the gate is blocked."

_Damn it_, Shinji thought. The situation was worse than they hoped it would be at this stage in the game. If they could not get to Hueco Mundo in time, the whole war would be lost. Turning around, he gasped, "Ichigo! Behind you!"

The blast from the Arancar was stopped by some large force. Everyone stared in shock as a big grin passed over Ichigo's face. Whipping his sword through the air to clear it of blood, he stood back to back with his savior.

"Thanks for the save, Chad."

"I've always got your back." his low voice echoed in Ichigo's ears, "I've come a long way and now there's too much to do. Hurry up, I'll keep the path clear."

Ichigo smiled at the taller man, "Long time no see."

"You'll have to tell me all about this later."

"You got it."

"It's a promise then." Chad shrugged, both of his arms already transformed into their respective roles of defense and attack, "See ya later."

Ichigo saluted to his best friend, seeing Chad's knowing smile, and headed off towards the Urahara Shoten. They would have to sit down with a good drink and have a long talk later.

_Hang on, Orihime, I'm coming._

* * *

She was not sure if Ichigo and the others were going to make it in time, and that was the biggest reason for Orihime to defy her orders from Aizen once more and leave the safety of her villa. Grimmjaw had left Hueco Mundo, and most of the gaurds were thin because of the battles. She could easily overtake one or two Arancar herself, so as long as she was cautious she was fine. 

Reject the Hougyoku.

It was the only way to end the war, and she was the only one that could do it. Aizen had told her many times that she had powers of the gods, as did himself, but he had always been curious as to why she never used them for her own gain. Before, she had only used the power to heal, and this was the first time she would ever use them against anyone seriously.

Flattening against the wall, she peered on the other side of the corner and stared at the gates to the Los Noches grand room. Aizen did not appear to be inside, but Orihime could sense the Hougyoku's power from where she was. At this point, she did not try to stop the shiver that went down her back.

The Hougyoku was a terrible thing. She was certain that Urahara Kisuke regretted his creation every day of his life, and the death and destruction that it had caused. As much as Orihime knew that her life would have been greatly different if it had never existed in the first place, she could not bring herself to hate Urahara-san.

Reaching the door, she raised her hands, "Souten Kishun..."

Rejecting the door lock was a simple task. Over the years of her living in Hueco Mundo, she had used some of that time to fine tune her abilities. There had been nights where she had simply practicing rejecting various objects around her villa. This had been simple enough until the citadel caretakers had demanded that she stop messing with the furniture.

Pushing the door open, her breath caught in her throat.

The Hougyoku hovered in the protective barrier, casting an eerie glow of light in the pitch dark room. Orihime took another step, her eyes sweeping the pitch dark blackness, wishing that there was some sort of sign telling her-

The light instantly flipped on, and to her horror Aizen was sitting in his chair. Staring down at her from the row of steps, there was a wide grin on his face.

"I wondered when you would make your way here, Orihime." he said, "Come to destroy the Hougyoku?"

"I want the war to stop." she told him, "I'm tired of all the fighting."

Aizen chuckled, standing up from his chair and making his way down the steps, "You have much more power than you let on. If I had employed you into the army I would be victorious for sure."

"My powers aren't for your selfish gain." she told him, raising a hand, "But if I have to fight _you_, I will."

"You forget, Hime," Aizen smirked, snapping his fingers, "You may be a god yourself, but you are mistaken if that gives you a hope of defeating me."

A scythe barreled towards her from the dark shadows.

* * *

Grimmjaw stopped, staring at the big porthole. The next squadron had just gone threw, and his turn was coming up. Despite his eagerness to go into battle, he had a strange feeling that he needed to stay at the castle. His head turned abruptly as a flash of light erupted from the windows of the Los Noches grand room. 

"What the hell was that?" Stark was standing next to him, due to leave right after Grimmjaw's departure.

Grimmjaw frowned, "I'll go check it out."

"Grimmjaw-"

"Go ahead of me." he ordered, and was down the hall before anyone could stop him.

* * *

Ishida pulled the bow once more, taking down one more Hollow. There was not enough time to perform a soul burials, so Ishida's powers had become very valuable on the battlefield. He let out another arrow, vaporizing a rather large Hollow that had been after Abarai. 

"Thanks, man." Renji turned back-to-back with him.

"Don't mention it." Ishida aimed, and shot another out of the air. He frowned, noticing a big energy blast heading towards him, and shot an arrow in the middle of it to negate the attack.

"4th Division?" Renji made a face, "Who the hell thought you were a 4th Division type? You strike me as a 13th Division, or maybe the 2nd Division."

Ishida chuckled, and then his eyes spotted one familiar Espada. Zael Apollo had been an opponent of his back in his high school days. As the bow disappeared in his hands, he drew two of his swords, "Please excuse me, Abarai, I'm afraid I have a previous engagement."

"Stuck-up bastard." Renji chuckled as he activated his bankai and jumped off after one of the other Espadas.

There was a large sneer on Apollo's face as Ishida charged towards him, spirit swords flying. Raising his zanpakuto, he blocked both of them, his feet digging into the ground to brace himself.

"You and your damn Quincy swords." Apollo chuckled, "You think you can defeat me with those?"

"I do." Ishida lunged forward, whipping one sword threw the air, and following it with the second.

This was one battle that Ishida had looked forward to.

* * *

Ichigo stepped onto the plains of Hueco Mundo, following Hirako as he marched towards the white castle. 

It had been years since Ichigo had returned to this place, and frankly he would have been happier not coming back for the rest of his life. The whole dimension gave him the creeps, and he admired Orihime greatly for being able to live there as long as she did without going insane. He probably would have not lasted a week.

He did not ask how Shinji knew where he was going.

"Mashiro, Hachi...I want both of you to concentrate on destroying the dimensional gate. We don't need them calling for troops while we're trying to get rid of this place." he turned to the others, "Risa, Hansei, I want you to to take the north end. Rose and Love will take the south end."

"Oh?" Hansei raised his eyebrows, "And do what?"

Shinji chuckled, "That is to your own judgment."

In a flash, they left Shinji and Ichigo alone. The blond man turned to Ichigo, and frowned, "We're going to Los Noches."

* * *

Orihime barely had time to raise a shield as Noitora's blade sailed towards her. The scythe stuck into the side of the shield, and she gasped as part of the blade began to stick through the shell of energy around her. Tsubaki and the other flower spirits were screaming in her mind, begging her to run and save herself. 

"What's the problem, Hime-chan?" Noitora chuckled, "Suddenly loose your spark?"

She gritted her teeth, Orihime did not need to yell the commands out to control Shun Shun Rikka. Instead, she drew her hands back, and then slammed them together. Taking control of the shield once more, she deflected the scythe before it sliced through her shield.

"This is a special zanpakuto." Noitora whirled the sword in his hand. Orihime could feel the gusts of wind tear through her hair and clothes as the massive object swung back and forth, "It can slice through any shield. You're defenseless against me, Hime."

Noitora took a step towards her, and she stepped back.

Aizen was watching them with interest. It was true that Orihime had godlike powers, but she refused to use them. He had always considered her a foolish person, but deep down in his mind he had always known that she was probably the only person capable of stopping his plans. At first it had alarmed him, knowing that a little girl who was only a fraction of his age possessed a power that Aizen could not obtain for himself.

So he took her, and made her work for him. As long as she was within his sight, she would never be able to move against him without him noticing. He knew that she had been planning to reject the Hougyoku, and keeping her in Los Noches had made it easier for him to keep tabs.

"Kill her Noitora." Aizen commanded. With that statement, Orihime watched as Aizen swept his hand over the Hougyoku. It disappeared, and then with a flash of Shunpo, he was gone.

_No!_, her mind screamed.

"As much as I would love to enjoy this-" Noitora raised the circular sword once more, "-I would much more enjoy destroying that hole you come from."

"How can you please do this!?" she screamed, "You'll be killing thousands of people just do you can take over the world! There will be nothing left!"

Noitora laughed, his voice echoed throughout the corners of the grand room. It made her hair stand on end.

"That's the idea, love." he sneered at her, "Those who are strong enough deserve to live. Those who are not...well, let's just say fate is not tipped in their favor."

Swinging the scythe once more, he took another step towards her. Orihime raised her hands, getting ready to activate the shield. She would not be able to stop an up-front attack, but she would be able to stall it enough to try and deflect the blow somewhere else. However, if she made any mistakes at all she would not survive long enough to save anyone.

Or see Ichigo again.

The last time she had seen him, Ichigo had been laying chest down in a pool of his own blood. He had thrown himself in front of Noitora's blade to protect her. It had been too much to see, and she still remembered seeing his blood on her hands as she knelt down to try and heal him. Noitora had then scooped her up and pulled her through the dimensional gate before she had the chance to heal Ichigo.

The blade flew towards her.

_I'm sorry, Ichigo._

She shrieked as the wall to the grand room blew apart, and Orihime found herself surrounded by dust and black light. Trying to regain her balance, she watched as two figures soared through the air.

Both with masks pulled over their faces, Hirako raised his sword and blocked the scythe as Ichigo had used the Getsuga Tenshou to deflect the original attack away from Orihime. Added with her shield, it would have been enough to protect her had Shinji not been able to stop the blade in time.

"K-Kurosaki-kun?" Orihime stared at him, her hands were starting to tremble.

"Sorry, I'm late," Ichigo glanced over his shoulder and pulling the mask off his face for a brief moment. His eyes glowed black and orange at her, and his voice was slightly strange, "I like it more when you call me Ichigo."

Noitora made a face, "Is this fair?" he whipped the scythe backwards, "Three against one?"

Ichigo frowned, this was the Espada that had...killed Orihime and tried to kill him. There was a rage in him that kept telling him to make the bastard pay. His attention was dragged forward as Shinji glanced backwards,

"Go after Aizen."

"Eh?" Ichigo looked forward.

"This is my fight." Shinji gripped his sword tighter, "Go after Aizen. Save Karakura."

"Wait!" Ichigo shouted towards him, "You're reiatsu will never be able to beat him-"

Shinji ignored Ichigo and rushed forward into Noitora, throwing both himself and the Espada out of the new hole in the wall. They disappeared into the dust and the night of Hueco Mundo.

* * *

Orihime watched Ichigo's face turn grim, and then gaze back towards her. He was dressed in full bankai form, his black sword held in his right hand. For a moment, Ichigo seemed to be looking over her white uniform, and when he determined that there were not any injuries on her he pulled her into his arms. 

"I'm so glad your okay." he told her, "I was worried."

She sniffed, "You came to get me."

"Of course I did, silly." he murmured into her hair, "I wasn't going to leave you in the hands of these bastards to fend for yourself. Not this time."

She smiled into his chest, "Thanks."

Ichigo then took her hand, and they rushed from the room. There was not much time left before Aizen destroyed Karakura.

* * *

_Not too much story left. TT ::sniff sniff::_

_Send and review and tell me what you think!_

_Arigato_

_Lilith _


	21. Chapter 21

_This chapter is still a work in progress, but I think it's okay for now. :D _

_Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach_

* * *

Shinji stumbled backwards, watching the red blood soak threw his shoulder from the gash he had taken from Noitora's blade. 

"You are an interesting creature." Noitora chuckled, his eyes seemed to glow as he gripped the large scythe, "You are not much different than I."

"I am nothing like you." Hirako stumbled backwards. He had to finish the battle quickly, even nearing an hour under his hollow form was pushing it for him. If he had not given Hiyori so much of his reiatsu, he might have been able to handle more time.

His hollow self was beginning to sneak in threw his senses.

"We are both powerful." Noitora sneered, "There is no one that can stand against us."

There was no way for Shinji to beat this Espada, and they both knew it. Deep down, Hirako did not regret giving up his powers for Hiyori. He would have done it again if given the chance.

_Damn it. What a wonderful time to decide I love her._

"I'm nothing like you." Shinji whipped his zanpakuto threw the air, "And although I can't beat you, as you already know, I have still enjoyed beating the shit out of you."

Noitora laughed, "You are a pretentious bastard."

"Maybe..." Shinji sneered, ready for another attack, "We have more in common than I thought..."

* * *

Aizen stopped, staring at the gate, and then back at Los Noches. 

More of his forces were waiting back in Karakura, who were no doubt picking through the meager defenses. At the moment, it appeared as if Hueco Mundo was going to fall against the invaders. But once he activated the Hougyoku and harvested the souls, it would no longer matter. He would have what he needed and no one would be able to stop him.

Ulquiorra was gone, Aizen felt the 4th Espada's life force disappear, along with two more of the Espada. Noitora was still fighting the Vizard leader, but it did not matter what his fate ended up being. Aizen did not need any of them for what he would eventually achieve.

Turning back towards the gate, he suddenly frowned as he glared at the shield that surrounded the dimensional gate.

"You are quite the talented little spell caster, Inoue-san." Aizen turned, smiling at her, "And just think, last week we were sitting in the grand hall together drinking tea and talking about the weather."

Orihime stood at the top of the hill, Ichigo Kurosaki hovering protectively next to her. Aizen had not missed the fact that Ichigo cared about the girl, his feelings were practically blaring as loudly as his reiatsu.

"I won't let you destroy Karakura." she said.

"You are going to fight me?" Aizen asked.

"If I must."

"You can't defeat me, no one can. There is nothing that you can do to change that."

Orihime glanced nervously at Ichigo, it would have only been a matter of time before Ichigo would have found out her little secret. Up until that point, the only one that knew about Orihime's new attacks was Tak.

Ichigo gave her an encouraging smile, he had her back if need be. Turning to Aizen, Orihime held her hands out in front of herself,

"_Fly the highest skies, shine like the sun._" she recited, "_Hana Ryu, I reject_."

* * *

Ishida ran threw the crowd, slashing and blasting away at every attack Zael threw towards him. He was beginning to grow tired, and had finally switched to simply meeting blow for blow with Zeele. The Espada was still keeping up with him, although he had taken on a few injuries during that battle that were slowing him down. 

"I am beginning to grow tired of you, Quincy."

Ishida gasped as Apollo grabbed the Zeele blade in his fingers, broke off the top, and shoved the spirit blade into his shoulder.

"You are no match for me, boy." Zael Apollo breathed into his face, "You don't even belong here. A Quincy fighting along the Shinigami? You must be a laughing stock."

Grabbing a new blade from his belt, Ishida promptly shoved the sword into Apollo's arm to release his hold on the blade. Gripping the end of the metal, Ishida yanked the sword from his shoulder. With a loud roar, Apollo pulled himself out of Ishida's grip.

He was tired of running away. Tired of trying to be on his own. For the first time in his life, Ishida wanted to win this battle and walk away with something to be proud of. He wanted to walk away with a new start, and not by himself.

Stepping to the side, he missed another attack from Zael's sword.

"Say something, damn you!"

Ishida was happy to oblige him. Turning the Zeele sword in his hands, he raised his left hand and promptly caught Apollo's blade in his bare hand.

"I won't loose." Ishida murmured.

The blade cut deeply into his hand, and the blood ran down his arm as Zael tried to pull the sword back.

It was too late.

Ishida took the Zeele and shoved the blade into the Espada's chest. Watching the 8th Espada gap at him as he stepped away, Ishida staggard from the Arancar, wrapping an arm around his middle. His ribs were shattered and it hurt to breathe.

Zael glared at him, "You think...you've won..."

"I did win." Ishida replied, coughing slightly, "And before you ask, I did not do this for the Shinigami, I did it for myself."

The Arancar could feel himself begin to slip, he fell to his knees, "Who the hell are you?"

Ishida watched as the Espada vaporized into spirit particles, joining the stream of energies that made up the Seireitei. Standing in the middle of the battlefield, Ishida stared at the lone Zeele sword that now rest on the ground. Picking up the white blade, he whirled the edge once more in his hands.

"My name is Ishida Uryuu, I'm a Quincy." he said, pushing his glasses higher up on the bridge of his nose, "And I hate Shinigami."

* * *

Karin dashed up the steps, she needed to move quickly if she was going to try and get to all the wounded that were coming into the clinic at once. The city had almost exploded around them, and now there were a mix of Arrancar, humans, and Shinigami charging around the streets. The clinic had become a mix of a hospital for humans and Shinigami alike. 

Chad Yasudora had showed up, and was now standing in front of the Kurosaki Clinic protecting it from Hollows and Arancar.

Passing by Hiyori's room on the third floor, she stopped in front of the door. It was open, and looking inside, Karin noticed that there was no one inside. She could not sense the Vizard's energy signal anywhere in the building.

"Hiyori-san?"

Or in Karakura for that matter.

Glancing in the corner, she noted the disappearance of the girl's zanpakuto.

* * *

Shinji fell to his knees, coughing, and blood speckled the ground in front of him. 

"It would be a lot quicker and less painful if you stood still, Vizard." Noitora laughed, "You are only making this harder on yourself."

Hirako forced himself to his knees, staring threw the eyes of his mask. The left eye was cracked, and the split was getting larger. At any time, the whole mask was shatter, and then he would loose his transformation. Then that would be the end for him.

"It's a pity that you had to face me." Noitora raised the scythe, "You might have won against a lesser Espada."

"Thanks for the encouragement." Shinji replied.

The scythe swung threw the air, the whole blade seemed to shine as if it was on fire. Noitora grinned, "I have enjoyed this fight, Vizard. But I have better things to do with my time then play with you."

Noitora had injuries as well, and Shinji suspected that the Espada was getting frustrated and impatient. Raising his sword to try and block the attack, a wave of panic rushed threw his mind.

His mask shattered, and the pieces scattered from his face. Without his enhanced powers, there was no way that he would be able to stop Noitora's zanpakuto. Uttering a curse, he raised his own sword. Even if he was going down, he was going to go down fighting.

Noitora released the blade.

Shinji gasped as a familiar voice called out from behind him.

"Hit the ground!"

He reacted without thinking, and his sword was ripped from his hands as Shinji let himself drop to the ground. Looking up, he found himself staring at the most beautiful sight that he had ever seen in his entire life.

Still dressed in hospital clothes, Hiyori blocked the scythe with Shinji's zapakuto, and raised her own. Noitora looked up at the petite young woman who was sailing towards him.

"Damn it..."

He had been too caught up in the battle to notice that another reiatsu signature had entered the field. Hiyori had escaped out of Kurosaki Clinic, and made her way through Urahara's gate alone to find Shinji in a full-out fight with the first Espada. It was not a surprise that Shinji was having trouble, and without the energy that he had given her, he did not have a chance against Noitora. It had occurred to Hiyori that Shinji was simply trying to divert Noitora from going after Kurosaki and Inoue, but there was no way that Hiyori was going to let Shinji die for something like that.

The sword plunged into the Arancar's chest.

He gapped at her, frozen in spot and still in shock from her surprise appearance.

"How does it feel, Arancar, to not be the strongest?" she hissed in his ear.

Noitora was quiet a moment, and then he sneered, "Whoever said I liked being the strongest?"

With that comment, he dissolved into a burst of light and faded into the warm air of Hueco Mundo. Hiyori stood in that same spot, holding both swords in her hands, and staring at the place where Noitora once stood. He had always been a bastard, with morals that were even worse than Aizen's. But Hiyori knew Noitora was that way because the Hougyoku had made him that way, it had not been a choice made on his own.

She did not feel sorry for him, but she did pity him.

Turning around, she gasped, "Hirako!"

He was lay on his side, covered in his own blood. Kneeling at his side, she turned him over in her arms, both of the swords dropped to the dusty ground and forgotten.

"Hirako!"

His eyes cracked open, and he coughed, "I thought I told you to stay at the clinic." he whispered.

"Since when have I ever done anything you said?"

"Good point."

"Besides, you're a dumbass, Shinji. You always think you know everything, but just because you're smart doesn't mean you have common sense too."

The blond man smiled at her, "And I suppose that means you have the common sense that I don't?"

"Hell ya, it does."

"We should to stick together then, huh?"

Hiyori stared at him a moment, and then smiled, "Hey, Shinji?"

"Yeah?" he murmured, his eyes had drifted closed and his head was leaning against her shoulder. God, he was tired.

"When this is all over, let's go back home." she said, "I think we've been away long enough."

"Okay." he replied, "But only if you stay with me."

Shinji fell asleep, his reiatsu was completely drained and although his wounds were severe, he did not have anything that she considered life threatening. His ribs were broken, maybe along with a few other bones, and he was covered in gashes.

Over in the distance, the other Vaizards were rushing towards them, having all finished their own battles. Running her fingers through his hair, Hiyori smiled, and rest her forehead on the top of his head.

"I won't leave your side ever, dummy."

* * *

"_Fly the highest skies, shine like the sun_." Orihime recited, "_Hana Ryu, I reject_." 

Ichigo watched as the white blade appeared in her hands. It looked like a burst of white light, the hilt solidified into some sort of white metal that Orihime grasped firmly in her hands. As the sword appeared, she whipped it once through the air, and another burst of light followed, forcing Ichigo to close his eyes.

When the light died down, he opened them again. The floor of the castle gate room was covered in a field of black and white flowers. Orihime stood in the middle of the field, looking at the flowers that resembled the potted plant that sat on the windowsill of her villa.

"A zanpakuto?" Aizen frowned.

"I died once, remember?" Orihime told him, "My own powers, which I still had not been able to completely control back then brought me back. Because of the energy I took from Grimmjaw, I was able to use it to convert my current Koten Zanshun into a more concrete form. It took two years of training...but I learned how to use it."

Ichigo was amazed, he had never made the connection before. Orihime looked like a she was surrounded in white light, and he could feel her reiatsu radiating from every corner of the room. He had never realized before how powerful she actually was, and although it was hard for him to admit, she was much more powerful than he was.

"God verse god." Aizen replied, gripping his own sword and drawing it from the sheath at his side. He had hidden the Hougyoku inside his own body. If Orihime wanted to reject it, she would have to kill him, "I believe this is a battle that I have looked forward too."

Ichigo gripped her arm, and Orihime caught the alarmed gaze in his eyes. She smiled, and he felt a ghost of a kiss touch his cheek.

"This is my fight, Ichigo." she told him, "Please understand."

He did understand, as much as he wish he did not need to.

* * *

Hitsugaya rushed down the hallway of the departure building, and stood in front of the dimensional gate at the Seireitei. The Shinigami seemed to have the upper hand in the battle at the Soul Society, but the matter of Aizen and the other Arancar at Hueco Mundo was yet to be addressed. Knowing what he knew, that the Arancar relied completely on Aizen, and if he was gone Hitsugaya knew that the Arancar would stand down. 

"Shirou-kun!"

He turned to see Hinamori heading towards him, he gave her a sad smile. She froze in the doorway, the hurried look in her eyes changed to surprise.

"I'm sorry, Hinamori." he told her.

"F-For what?" she asked.

Hitsugaya looked towards the open porthole, and turned back to her, "You told me many times that if I ever fought Aizen, that you did not want me to kill him."

"Ah-"

"I'm sorry, Hinamori." he told her, "I'm going to Hueco Mundo, and I'm going to kill Aizen."

She felt her heart seize, and the color drained from her face.

_Aizen-taicho._

The man she had loved for years. She had worked for him, ran countless missions with him, fought side by side, ate meals, celebrated holidays, and the memories that she had with him would forever be ingrained in her soul.

Toushirou gave her one last look. He knew what she was thinking, and he did not care anymore if she would hate him for the rest of her life. For that moment, he actually found himself wishing that he had never become a Shinigami in the first place. Hitsugaya missed sitting on the porch of his house, eating watermelons, and not having a care in the world.

But that life was gone, and now she would be gone too.

"Good-bye, Momo."

Hinamori gapped at him as he stepped through the dimensional gate.

* * *

Ishida sliced another hollow, stumbling to the ground as his reiatsu was beginning to drop. He did not have much energy left after his fight with Zael Apollo. What he needed to do was lay down and sleep for a week, but what he wanted was to win the war. 

They were getting the upper hand, but there were so many enemy forces that Ishida doubted the advantage was last long. Looking to his right, he spotted a dark-haired Vice Captain who was blasting a line of Arancars while trying to block their attacks at the same time.

Ishida appeared with his back to hers, raising the spirit bow in his hands, he resumed firing into the crowd of attacking Arancar. His fingers were covered in blood from being cut by the bow's string, and his entire arm was numb from exhaustion.

"Are you alright?" he asked.

Nemu did not look back at him, "I do not have much energy left. I do not know how much longer I will last."

"I'm almost out myself." he replied, taking down another Arancar, "Nemu?"

"Yes?" she replied, her eyes were still focused on the battle.

"I love you."

She was silent, and with her back to him, he did not see her smile or the tears in her eyes. Ishida could not stop himself from smiling, despite the situation they were currently in.

"I love you too." she told him.

"I know."

"We're going to die here, aren't we?"

Ishida sighed, "Probably."

She turned away from her fight, grabbed the front of his sleeveless shirt, and kissed him. It had been such a long time since they had been alone together, but Nemu was simply happy to have him there at that moment. Looking back into his eyes, he was smiling down at her, brushing her disheveled hair from her face.

The Arancar and hollows were moving closer to them.

Throwing her arms around Ishida's neck and burying her face into his chest, she waited for the hollows to attack. Neither of them had the strength or energy left to fight the enemies.

Ash tickled her cheek.

Landing next to Nemu, Rangiku gripped the hit of her zanpakuto in front of her. The ash from Haineko filled the battlefield, and she smirked at Nemu when she looked over her shoulder, "Getting lazy again, Vice-Captain?"

"Rangiku-san?" Nemu stared at her.

She looked over Ishida's shoulder as another figure landed next to them. Ichimaru Gin whipped his sword through the air, "I guess that's my cue."

Calling out his sword's name, the burst of energy from his zanpakuto ignited with the ash, and both Ishida and Nemu watch as the attacking hollows around them were surrounded in a burst of flames.

Gin was well aware that he was a fugitive from the Soul Society, and that returning meant that he had a lot of explaining to do. Once everything would quiet down, the Shinigami would probably through him in prison for the rest of eternity. But at the moment, he was fighting against the Arancar like everyone else, so the surrounding Shinigami did not make a move against him.

Gin and Rangiku exchanged glances, and began fighting the Arancar.

* * *

"Orihime!" 

Ichigo watched as Inoue crashed into the floor. Her zanpakuto was powerful, but Aizen's experience in battle greatly outweighed Orihime's. Making a step towards the battle, drawing Zangetsu, he heard Orihime shout.

"Stay away!" Orihime pulled herself to her feet. At this rate, Aizen was going to kill her before she had a chance to get at the Hougyoku.

"I won't let him kill you!"

"Stay out of the fight!"

This was not an Orihime that he knew. Ichigo was used to her laughs, her bright presence that seemed to light every corner of his mind. But the warrior that he saw in front of him, sword in hand, standing against one of the most powerful Shinigami to ever live...Ichigo did not know this side of Orihime.

"I am impressed." Aizen replied, "But you can not win."

"I must." Orihime gripped the light sword in her hands, "I won't let you kill all those people."

"It is not your choice to make." he raised his sword, "There is nothing you can do about it."

His zanpakuto effected the senses, she knew somewhat about how it worked. Getting read to block his attack, it suddenly occurred to her that she could no longer move.

"I have frozen your mind's ability to connect with motor functions." Aizen replied, the sword held in front of him, "You can not longer resist my attacks."

He was not lying, Orihime could not move an inch. Aizen disappeared from where he stood and in a flash of shunpo, he appeared in front of Inoue, his sword was pointed straight at her heart.

"I will miss our talks, Hime."

"Orihime!" Ichigo roared, heading towards her. There was no way he would get to her in time, but he had to try. Aizen drew the sword back, and something flashed before his eyes. Ichigo froze, and stared in horror at the scene before him.

Orihime looked up from where she was, and saw the point of Aizen's sword only an inch from her. There was a figure in white standing in front of her, a familiar figure dressed in a white uniform...with ice-blue hair and savage looking eyes.

The sword ran threw the center of Grimmjaw's chest, and protruded from his back. He glanced up at Aizen, and sneered, "You are not my master. No one owns me..."

Grimmjaw stumbled backwards as Aizen gave him a dark glare, and yanked the sword from the Espada's chest. Falling backwards, Orihime found that she was able to move again, and caught Grimmjaw in her arms.

Sinking to the floor, he gazed up at her with an odd smirk on his face. He had just moved without thinking. After running across the entire length of the complex, he had come across the battle between Ichigo, Aizen, and Orihime. Unable to make a decision on what to do, he had simply stood and watched.

Grimmjaw did not deny the fact that maybe he valued the girl a little more than he was willing to admit, but the loyalty to Aizen was welded into his soul the moment he was brought into existence from his raw hollow form. Aizen's orders, Aizen's wishes were also his wishes, and there had been nothing that he had ever done to change that.

Until now.

There were tears already streaming down her face, and he chuckled, "This the first time...I've ever seen you cry...for me."

"Wh-Why?" she whispered, "Why did you do it?"

He gulped, knowing very well that Ichigo Kurosaki had just appeared at Orihime's side. Perhaps to protect her from Grimmjaw? The Arrancar was amused at that thought.

Orihime watched as an arm shot out and grabbed Ichigo by the collar, and pulled Ichigo within earshot. Whispering quick words into the Shinigami's ear, Grimmjaw than shoved him away and ignored the look of surprise on Ichigo's face.

Ichigo gapped at him, "What?"

Grimmjaw looked back at the girl staring down at him, and coughed. The sword had ran threw his lung, and he could do nothing about the steady stream of blood that ran from in between his lips.

"H-Hey..." he rasped, trying to get her attention.

"Yes?" Orihime looked down at him.

"Smile."

She looked at him like there was a horn growing out of his head. He then chuckled, knowing that she would think it was an odd last request. Orihime almost choked out a sharp laugh, even when he was dying the only way Grimmjaw could seem to speak to her was in a command.

"Grimmjaw."

He looked up at her.

Orihime smiled, a bright, honest smile. It was the first time he had ever seen it. He figured Kurosaki saw it all the time.

_Lucky bastard._

* * *

"Grimmjaw?" 

The Espada did not respond. Ichigo turned his head away, he did not want to see her cry. His attention then snapped in alarm as Aizen raced towards them. Drawing Zangetsu, his hollow mask appearing on his face, he matched the ex-Captain's sword.

She did not even try to stop the tears. There were memories that she would never forget from when she was living at Hueco Mundo, and Grimmjaw was part of most of those memories.

Orihime stared down at Grimmjaw's blue orbs. Calmly raising her hand, she laid it over his face, and closed his lifeless eyes.

Then, in a burst of light like all hollows when they were vanquished, he disappeared into the air.

* * *

_Two chapters left, I promise. Next week will be a busy week ::both mine and my sister's birthdays and because of the 4th:: so there may not be an update. But when I finally do post, I will be putting up two chapters. Thanks for reading, and send a review to tell me what you think!_

_Arigato_

_Lilith_


	22. Chapter 22

_Hello everyone, thank you for your patience. I have been out of town for a few days, and I also took a little time off to read the new Harry Potter book. Which was REALLY GOOD ::nuff said::. The last chapter is already in the works, and will be up by the end of the this week._

_Thank you to **Noods** for the hard work on the beta!_

_**Note:** I realized after some poking around that I accidently submitted the UNEDITTED version of chapter 20 instead of the edited. I apologize for this and the problem will be fixed as soon as I can get to it.  
_

Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach

* * *

She did not hear or feel anything for that moment. 

Ichigo was still fighting Aizen, but even that did not really register in her mind. All she did was stare at her now empty arms that had once been occupied by Grimmjaw, but now she only held the abandoned zanpakuto. Pantera had always been an aggressive, vicious blade and was widely known throughout Hueco Mundo. Now as it lay in her arms, she could swear that she felt it weeping at the loss of its master.

Ichigo cried out, falling to the ground as Aizen came upon him. His mind was split between his concern for Orihime, and his concern for the possibility of getting ran through by Aizen's soul slayer. Turning back to his opponent, Ichigo raised his sword to block the zanpakuto that was on a direct course for his heart.

Aizen chuckled, raising his hand. "You amuse me, boy."

Orihime's head jerked upright as a yelp from Ichigo echoed throughout the chamber. Aizen had grabbed his collar with his free hand and shoved him into the wall with bone-crushing force.

"Ichigo!"

She was on her feet before she could think, leaving the sword on the floor. Hana Ryu appeared in her hands once more, "_Flutter_!" she shrieked, "_Hana Ryu_!"

A burst of flower petals appeared as her sword met with Aizen's. Releasing her sword with one hand, she pressed the very same hand to his chest, locking onto the power of the Hougyoku that was kept within his own reiatsu.

"_Souten Kishun! I repel_-"

Aizen glared at her, "Foolish girl."

Ichigo gasped, watching in horror as Orihime was thrown across the room with a burst of energy. A set of ice-cold eyes and dying words entered into his own memory as he watched her stumble back to her feet, raising her sword against Aizen in hopes that he would release Ichigo.

_You'd better protect her, you bastard, or I'll come back from the dead and haunt you for the rest of your fucking existence._

A threat worthy of Grimmjaw, that was for sure. But all that mattered at the moment, apart of his safety and Orohime's, was the destruction of the Hougyoku. Ichigo latched a hand on the arm that was holding him to the wall, and Aizen shoved him away. Falling into the stone floor of the room, Ichigo righted himself once more.

His eyes glanced in her direction, _are you alright, Orihime?_

_I am fine_, her eyes seemed to answer back.

Turning back to Aizen, they were ready for another attack. In the back of their minds, they both knew there was no way for them to beat Aizen. With hundreds of years of accumulated strength and experience behind him, Aizen had always been one of the more powerful Shinigami captains in the Seireitei.

"I grow tired of this, I don't have time to play around with you two." he replied, raising his zanpakuto in front of him.

Ichigo grew tense, not really knowing what to expect from the sword. In all the battles he had faced, Aizen's zanpakuto was the only one that he had not been able to defeat. There was something inherently disturbing about the sword's strength that was another fear in itself.

Better beat him to the punch.

Ichigo whipped his sword through the air, charging it with his own energy. "Tensa Zanget-"

Orihime called out to him, and he had heard her in the back of his mind. But all the he had managed to see at that moment, was a phased image of the brown-haired Shinigami appearing in front of him.

If Aizen were to honestly give his opinion about the orange-haired warrior, he would have truly said that he respected Kurosaki Ichigo. Any warrior of the boy's age with that level of strength deserved respect. But there were limits to Aizen's patience, and Kurosaki had just about pushed that patience to the limit. Offering a constant bother on his plans, there was no hesitation as Aizen sliced his sword through Ichigo's side.

The young man staggered backwards, a trail of blood dripping to the white floor. He managed to stay standing, but only by planting the end of his sword into the floor to hold himself up.

Orihime was at Ichigo's side before he sunk to to the ground. She stumbled backwards, falling to her knees.

"How is it..." Ichigo chuckled, "...that when I'm around you I always get hurt?"

He had meant it as a joke, and Orihime would have laughed at any other time. But after being in a similar situation not to long ago with Grimmjaw, she found nothing humorous about it. Looking defiantly back at their opponent, Aizen whipped the sword through the air to clear it of blood, walking towards her at a steady pace.

"You came to Hueco Mundo hoping to save the lives of your friends." he told her, "In the end, they will all be dead, and so will you. I will still get what I want, and Karakura will still be destroyed. Everything you did is all in vain."

Orihime shook her head, "No, it was not."

He raised his sword, "Good-bye, Orihime Inoue. Take credit in the fact that I will most likely remember this day for the rest of my life."

There was nothing she could do. Without Ichigo's help, she could not fight back. Her arms locked around Ichigo, and she buried her face in his soft hair as she waited for the blade to come down on her.

It did not.

A few seconds later, she raised her head, and gasped.

Ice spread around her, and had formed a shield around them to stop Aizen's blade. The white sheet had surrounded the room, over the walls, and around the ceiling. Turning to see the origin of the ice, Orihime recognized the Shinigami standing in the doorway.

"Toushirou-kun." Aizen smiled, "How nice it is for you to join us. May I inquire as to the reason of your disruption?"

"Just returning the favor of the hospitality that you so generously gave me while I was here." he gripped Hyourinmaru in his right hand, " I've come to kill you."

* * *

Hitsugaya Toushirou had emerged from the gate into Hueco Mundo, and immediately set towards Los Noches. One the way to the main gate room, he had met up with the departing Vizards who had come to do their job, and finished. All of them were exhausted, and sported some nasty battle injuries, but none that were life-threatening. Hirako Shinji was being carried back to Karakura, and Hitsugaya could sense that the reiatsu level of the Vizard commander was dangerously low. 

Hearing the sounds and seeing the blasts from the room, he had followed it in time to see the spectacular display of Inoue Orihime's zanpakuto. In his memory, there was not one like it in the Seireitei, and knew that many of the Shinigami in the Soul Society would be interested in the story behind it.

Both Kurosaki and Inoue were in a losing battle, and Hitsugaya was not sure that he could even scratch Aizen. It was important to distract him enough to secure Karakura, which was proving to be a difficult task.

Aizen appeared in front of Toushirou, and met his sword blow for blow.

Fighting a seasoned warrior like Aizen was difficult for even Hitsugaya's rank. He had always been one of the newer fighters in the Soul Society, and fighting someone like Aizen would be a bad idea. But there was no way that Hitsugaya was going to let this information deter him.

They fought, and with one slash of the sword, Hitsugaya found himself falling backwards to kneel in front of his opponent. Blood soaked the front of his uniform, not unlike the wound he got from Aizen the first time they fought years ago.

"This seems so familiar." Aizen told him, standing only a few feet from Hitsugaya, "I recall the same thing happening the first time you rushed me. You had an excuse for being stupid back then, with Hinamori Momo being there. I fail to see what excuse you have now."

"Maybe I am just stupid all the time." Hitsugaya chuckled, "Did you ever think of that?"

Aizen sneered, " Maybe you are right." he raised his sword, intent on bringing it down harshly on Toushirou, "I will not make the same mistake either-"

Aizen's words abruptly ended, and Hitsugaya shrieked as a tip of a blade appeared only a few inches from his face.

The pronged sword was lodged firmly in Aizen's back, blood dripping from the sword that stuck through his mid-drift. A look of surprise passed over Shirou's face, not knowing who the blade belonged too, and only that it had struck down Aizen.

A trail of blood streamed from the edge of Aizen's lips. His eyes glanced to the side, and he answered Hitsugaya's question for him.

"I never would have expected...you to come here."

There was a silence in the room, and it was the first time Hitsugaya noticed the pale face of Orihime, staring in his direction with a look of equal shock.

Calmly, and with an utterly cold reply, the new attacker replied.

"Neither did I, Taicho."

* * *

She had stood outside the gate for some time, remembering the look of despair on Toushirou-kun's face as he left her to go to Hueco Mundo. At first, Hinamori thought she would simply collapse right where she stood. She never wanted anything bad to happen to Aizen-taicho, but there was now another problem that had never been present before. 

Hinamori was in love with Hitsugaya Toushirou. It had been difficult for her to grasp, but it was painfully obvious to her when she watched him leave. She had always thought that Aizen would be the one in her thoughts, and to her surprise, her first worry had been for Shirou.

Shirou thought she was in love with Aizen.

A choked sob had crept from her throat as she had stood alone in the gate room at the Seireitei. Shirou-kun was going to fight Aizen, and he was probably going to die thinking that she did not think of him past a common childhood friend. Or worse, he would die thinking that she hated him for trying to kill Aizen Sousuke. In truth, it was completely different from that. Hinamori loved Shirou with all of her soul, and now, it was her chance to prove to him that fact.

Aizen was going to kill her, and had already tried once. He was going to destroy everything she loved and knew, and all for his own selfish purposes.

Taking her sword, she had follow Hitsugaya to the other world. She had always had a talent for hiding her reiatsu, and Toushirou had not even noticed her. Not even Aizen, to her surprise, when she had come through Los Noches to find him and Hitsugaya fight one another.

What was she supposed to do?

A part of her would always love Aizen, he was her first love. She would never love him again like she loved Shirou, but Aizen would always be a part of her memories.

There was no hesitation in her mind as she watched Aizen poised to strike Toushirou from where he had fallen. So she took her sword, and had ran it through Aizen's back.

"I am impressed...Momo." he managed a chuckle, "I am a little shocked. You struck...me from behind."

"Forgive me." she said, "But in these circumstances, I am willingly to do whatever is necessary."

"You...were always...the ambitious one."

Seeing Tobiume in front of his face, Hitsugaya glanced back at Hinamori, "Hinamori! What are you doing?! Get the hell out of here!"

"I can't do that, Shirou-kun." she said.

"You idiot!"

Aizen could still strike back, but Hinamori knew this as well as Hitsugaya. Gripping his sword once more, Aizen smiled,

"If it matters..." he told her, "...I did care for you...Momo."

Hinamori gave a sad smile, "I know you did."

"Hinamori!" Hitsugaya struggled to stand, despite his savage shoulder wound. He needed to save her before Aizen killed her, "Get out of here!"

There was a sudden increase of reiatsu, and Hinamori's eyes sunk closed, "Good bye, Aizen-taicho."

Aizen raised his sword, ready to free himself from Tobiume to strike her down, "Good bye, Momo."

"Snap..."

Hitsugaya finally understood what she was about to do. The end of her zanpakuto glowed an eerie white. He sucked in a lungful of air and screamed out to her.

"**_MOMO_**!"

"...Tobiume."

In a brilliant flash of white light, Aizen vaporized in the flame of Tobiume's attack.

* * *

Orihime felt her heart twist at the scene in front of her. The moment she realized what Hinamori was planning, she pulled Ichigo closer into her arms and shielded him from the attack. From what she had understood from Rukia, Hinamori had once been the vice-captain to Aizen, and that she had been in love with him. 

Raising her head back up after the explosion faded, she gasped. The Hougyoku hovered in mid-air, having been freed from its capture. Hinamori stared at it, tears streaming down her face. Her sword dropped at her side as Hitsugaya limped over to see to her.

"Don't touch it." Toushirou grabbed her outstretched hand that was about to inspect the glowing orb, "Damn it, Momo, what..."

"I couldn't let him kill you, Shirou-kun." she said, "I couldn't let you come here and throw your life away thinking you're all alone."

"Momo-"

She pulled his face down by his ears and kissed him, catching him by surprise.

"I'll always be here with you." she grabbed the front of his shirt, "Because I love you."

His breath seemed to catch in his chest, and there was a shaky smile that spread across his face. Either from what she said, or the pain, she could not tell. Opening his mouth to say something, he finally closed it, not really knowing what to say.

In the end, out of all the powerful warriors that had tried to defeat Aizen, Hinamori Momo had been the only one to do it. Meek, quiet, timid little Hinamori Momo. He wrapped his good arm around her shoulder and kissed her forehead. Then he turned back to the matters at hand, pacing quickly across the ice-covered floor.

"Are you injured?" Hitsugaya asked Orihime, it was rather obvious that Kurosaki had seen better days.

"I'll be fine. Ichigo needs medical attention. I'd heal him now, but-"

"You need that energy to destroy the Hougyoku." he said, "That's fine, Hinamori-taicho and I will get him out. You do what you need to."

Orihime nodded, and turned back to Ichigo.

"Orihime..." his grip seemed to tighten on her slightly.

"I need to do this alone." she said, "There's no telling what will happen to this place when I destroy it. If anyone is caught in here, I'd rather it just be me."

"No-"

She leaned over and kissed him, not caring about the two other people watching them. Her hands smoothed over his cheeks, "Don't worry so much. I'll be back in Karakura before you know it."

He stared back at her grimly, and then kissed her himself. Reluctantly releasing her, Hitsugaya and Hinamori pulled him up on their shoulders, and with a backwards glance, Orihime watched as Ichigo was dragged down the hallway.

* * *

She sat alone in the gate room of Los Noches, staring at the Hougyoku. 

"What an interesting problem you have here." Tsubaki sat on her shoulder, "If you want to blow yourself up, lady, do it on your own time."

"I'm not going to blow myself up." Orihime made a face at him, raising her hand to gage the energy.

"Oh, right...my mistake. You're going to blow _me_ up."

"Nobody is going to get blown up."

"To late for Aizen."

"That doesn't count." Orihime replied, "Hey, Tsubaki?"

"What the hell is it now?" he glared back.

"I really like you, you know that?"

He stared at her a moment, and then his face seemed to soften a bit, "Yeah, I know."

She was going to need the powers of all of her Shun Shun Rikka to reject the Hougyoku. It was not a sure thing if she would be able to handle it, but she had to. As the six little flower spirits zoomed around her, forming a shield around the orb, Tsubaki and the others all gave her a last encouraging look.

"_Souten Kisshun_!" she roared, "_I repel thee_!"

* * *

Ishida strolled through the battlefield at the Seireitei. Medical groups were darting around the place, giving aid to the severely wounded. He was left mostly to himself, seeing that he did not have any immediate life-threatening wounds. Nemu had put a bandage over the wound from Apollo, and made a make-shift sling from his arm to take pressure off his shoulder. 

It was still hard to imagine what he had just done for the last four or five hours. Strangely, he had found it oddly exhilarating to fight in such a one-sided battle. Eventually, the Arrancar seemed to give, and the Soul Society had won. Ishida could still remember feeling extremely relieved as he watched the multiple portholes appear to transport the remaining Hueco Mundo forces back.

Now, he was not sure about what he was supposed to do.

Wander around the Seireitei, then what? He had not exactly planned on getting this far, and to his irritation, had no idea what to do with himself.

"The gate is activating!" a voice called from somewhere.

Being of the the few warriors still able to stand, Ishida turned around and rushed towards the gate. He was not able to shoot a bow, but he could still use a sword.

The gate opened, and Hitsugaya and Hinamori appeared, carrying a slumped Kurosaki Ichigo with them. Ishida's heart sunk, _where was Orihime?_ Ichigo would have never left her unless...

"We need a healer!" Hitsugaya bellowed into the crowd, lowering Ichigo to the floor of the platform. A few fourth division members began tending to the young man.

"Taicho!" a voice called out to Hitsugaya. He grinned at Rangiku, who was wearing civilian Rukongai clothes, as she raced over to him. Throwing her arms around him, she laughed happily, "You're alive, you silly man!"

"Of course I am, Matsumoto." his eyes then fell on the figure behind her.

"Long time no see, Toushirou-san." Gin smiled, waving.

"Ichimaru!" Hitsugaya roared, immediately reaching for his zanpakuto. "No!" Ran grabbed her captain's shoulders, "It's okay, Gin came here on his own and fought the Arrancar with us. We'd be dead without him."

"That doesn't change the fact that he's a murderous, treasonous bastard."

Gin chuckled, "I'm ready to 'cept any punishment you got for me. But for now, can we simply enjoy the fact that the war is over?"

Hitsugaya stared at him, and sighed. He was getting soft, it seemed.

* * *

There was a sudden spike in energy, and Ichimaru seemed to catch onto the fact before Hitsugaya. Drawing Shinsou, the gate sparked, and they stepped away to see what be coming threw. 

"It's comm' from Hueco Mundo." Gin replied, "It's strong, whoever it is."

As the gate activate, there was a bright-eyed, brown haired girl that yelped as she fell flat on her face out of the gate. It deactivated, and Orihime sat up. Seeing everyone staring at her in an alarmed fashion, she blinked,

"Hey, guys." she said, "What's up?"

"Orihime?" Ichigo glanced at her from his resting place on the platform.

Orihime waved, "Hi, Ichigo."

That was the Orihime he knew. The clumsy, spacey, happy Orihime Inoue. He had almost laughed when she fell out of the gate.

"Inoue-san!" Hinamori sunk at her side, "Are you okay?!"

Apparently, Orihime figured that her little klutzy display was quite alarming.

"Yeah." she flushed slightly, embarrassed that she managed to fall in front half the Seireitei, "I'm okay."

"What of the Hougyoku?" Hitsugaya asked.

There was a silence as everyone waited for her response.

Orihime simply smiled, "It's gone. I rejected it."

A wave of cheers spread around them, and for the first time in a long time, Orihime felt like she was truly free of Aizen and Hueco Mundo.

* * *

Renji sat in his office, leaning on the window. 

It had been a few days since the defeat of Hueco Mundo, and despite the big accomplishments that everyone seem to have made, life was pretty much returning to normal.

The Seireitei was under construction from the damage it occurred from the war, and many lives had been lost. But all in all, everyone seemed to think the victory was well earned. There was nothing to complain about, and people were ready to settle back into their daily duties.

There was a stack of paperwork on his desk that was a mile high, but Renji could not seem to concentrate on it for more then five seconds. In the end he had given up and return to sulking mournfully at the window.

Preparations for the wedding were occurring at the temple not to far away. Renji could see the people rushing around, putting up decorations, and the Kuchiki elites were standing around chatting amongst themselves. The wedding was promising to be one of the biggest and most elaborate the Soul Society had seen in years.

He was not going.

Renji felt like he was going to be sick for a moment as he purposely banged his head on the windowsill. _Stupid, stupid..._

"Why the hell are you sitting on the floor and whacking your head on the window?"

Renji's head jerked up too see Ichigo Kurosaki. Wearing jeans and a t-shirt, Ichigo was almost completely recovered from his ordeal at Hueco Mundo. He had spent the last few days enjoying Orihime's company, as well as the celebrations for the end of the war.

"Go away, Kurosaki, I don't feel like dealing with you."

"That's swell." Ichigo leaned on the wall right next to Renji, "You're a coward."

"I am not!" Renji snapped.

"Everyone's getting what they want but you, Renji." Ichigo glared, "And Rukia."

"Rukia doesn't need me."

"You're right, she doesn't."

Renji gapped at Ichigo, not really have expecting that response.

"She's a Kuchiki, she's got her own fame and fortune. But will that make her happy?" Ichigo said, "She needs you to be happy, Renji."

The red-haired Shinigami looked back at the temple. Rukia would be there right now at the rehearsal. All of the elites would be there, Maroh and Byakuya included. Standing up, Renji gave himself credit. He was not a regal elite like all of those people down there, but he knew that he was a good person.

"Go after her." Ichigo told him, "You deserve to be happy too, Renji."

Without another comment or a backward glance, Renji ran from the room.

* * *

_Last chapter will be up ASAP. Send me a review and tell me what you think:D_

_Arigato_

_Lilith Rei_


	23. Chapter 23

_Here is the last chapter. There is also an epilogue with Tatsuki after this that will be out later today or tomorrow.  
_

_Hope you like it!_

_Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach_

* * *

Rukia stood at the top of the steps, staring sadly at the front of the temple. The men where talking amongst themselves, and she had taken this time to have time to herself. 

Ever since the war ended, Maroh had not left her alone for more than ten minutes. She figured that he was worried she would run back to Renji, which was exactly what she wanted to do. But like it had always been, the good of the Kuchiki family was at stake, and both her and Renji understood that.

Still, she could not stop the fact that she was not happy. She would never be happy without Renji.

Exchanging a knowing glance with her brother, Byakuya seemed to have a sympathetic look in his eyes. Probably because he had married for love and not politics. Rukia was jealous of him for that.

Lyro, as well as the other Kuchiki advisers were in deep conversation with each other when the doors were torn open and a tall figure marched inside the temple room.

"Renji?" Rukia stared at him in confusion, "What are you doing here?"

"I won't let you marry him, Rukia." Renji told her, "I won't stand here and do nothing."

"Renji." Byakuya was instantly at his vice-captain's side, "What is the meaning of this?"

"I'm in love with her, Taicho." Renji looked square into Byakuya's eyes, "I won't let any of you damn nobles make her do something she doesn't want to."

"You disgrace this place, commoner!" Lyro demanded, drawing all attention to the Shinigami who had just entered, "Remove yourself before you are thrown out!"

"I will do no such thing!" Renji roared, "You'll have to kill me first!"

"Maybe that can be arranged!"

Rukia felt the whole situation quickly zoom out of control, Maroh had even joined the fray.

"You son of a bitch!" Maroh roared, "Get the hell out of here!"

"What did you say?!" Renji grabbed his collar.

_Shit_, Byakuya quickly surveyed the situation. If he did not do something now his vice-captain would be sitting in a cell for the rest of his natural life, and Rukia would be even more distressed then she was now. Not to mention the fact that he would have utterly dishonored his wife's memory by insuring that her sister would be miserable.

So, like always, Kuchiki Byakuya took control of the situation.

Grabbing Renji's collar, he shoved the Shinigami against the wall.

"Oniisama!" Rukia shrieked.

"Do you wish to spend the rest of your life in a cell, Abarai?" Byakuya's voice dropped dangerously low.

Renji glared back at him, and Byakuya hoped that Renji would catch on and play along.

"I won't let you marry Rukia to that bastard." Renji snapped, "She won't be happy-"

"I'll decide what Rukia needs to be happy, and what is best for this family, Renji." he said. There was only a short window of which he could take control before the advisers and Maroh made the whole situation worse, "Rukia?"

She looked up as her brother called her, "Y-Yes?"

It was apparent that she was upset by the whole thing.

"Do you want to marry Maroh Kazah?"

She was silent, and opened her mouth to say that she was not bothered by it. Keeping the family safe was important to her, the family had been her elder sister's family, and that made it hers as well. Honestly, she really did care about Byakuya as her brother, and never wanted to do anything to contradict him.

Standing at the top of the stairs in the temple, her eyes than fell on Renji. He seemed to have stopped breathing, waiting for an answer.

"Of course she does!" Maroh replied, "Why would she ever want to marry a filthy commoner from Rukon-"

"No." Rukia replied, glaring at Maroh, "I don't want to marry him."

"Alright," Byakuya tilted his head slightly, "You don't have too."

There was an instant uproar in the temple room. Kuchiki and well as Kazah elites were hovering around him to demand and explanation. Byakuya ignored them, and looked back into Renji's surprised face. If Hisana would have been alive, she would have approved of Renji. He was head-strong, outspoken, and quite often rude, but he was a good man. A good man that would make Rukia happy.

"If she does not marry someone, I will see that she is exiled from the Seireitei!" Lyro roared, "There will be a wedding tomorrow, and I will personally see to it that it is carried out!"

Rukia's heart sunk, they were going to try and surpass her brother's authority and make her marry Kazah anyway. Fortunately, Byakuya had a reply for this outburst as well.

"Fine then." Byakuya took a gruff hold of Renji's collar once again, "This man will marry her."

_"__Taicho!"_ Renji gasped, still trying to free himself from Byakuya's grip, he stopped struggling long enough to stare at his captain in utter shock.

Lyro glared at Byakuya, "I refuse-"

"Abarai Renji is one of the more prominent Shinigami in the Soul Society. I trust him with my life, as well as the well being of my sister." Byakuya looked at them all, "His strength and intelligence have much to add to the Kuchiki family. Besides, I am the head of this house. If anyone tries to contradict my orders again, they will find themselves very sorry for doing so."

The dark glare that swept the room from the 6th Captain promptly cut off all objections in the room.

Lyro Kuchiki, and the rest of the advisers nodded, "If it is your wish, Byakuya-sama." he firmly replied.

"Very good," Byakuya released Renji, and turned to his future brother-in-law, "Congratulations on your engagement, Renji."

Renji's mouth dropped open, s_on of a bitch._

Knowing that none of the other family members were watching, Rukia and Renji did not miss the sly smile that touched Byakuya's mouth. He straightened his uniform, and walked towards the exit of the temple. Renji could not help but grin at his captain. Despite Byakuya's outward appearance, he was much more cunning and sly then he let on. He would have to thank his captain profusely later.

Rukia was still frozen where she stood and watched Renji ascend the steps of the temple towards her. He really did not know what to say, having not expected things to go the way that they did. The idea of being thrown in jail was more likely to have occurred, not to mention the fact that Byakuya had bailed him out. In other circumstances, he would have been willing to get married to Rukia, but only after they had time to get used to each other.

"I...uh...okay." Renji scratched the back of his head, "I really didn't know that was going to happen."

"Idiot!" Rukia smacked him in the shoulder, "They could have killed you and been well within the right to!"

Renji shrugged.

He was infuriating. Rukia grabbed the front of his uniform, "I thought I told you-"

"Rukia," he grasped her hands, releasing them from his clothes, "When I have ever not fought for something I wanted?"

"Renji-"

"I know its very sudden, I didn't know it would happen either." he said, "But we can get used to it, right?" he offered her an encouraging smile, "We're getting married tomorrow after all."

She watched him, knowing that the idea was just starting to sink into her mind.

"I'm not the most graceful man." he said, "I'm not a noble, and I don't have the patience to deal with high society. But I'll take good care of you, and I'll be happy to spend the rest of my life making you happy."

He always knew what to say. When she did not say anything back, he began to look nervous.

"Rukia-"

Her arms wrapped around his neck, and she kissed him.

"I'd be happy to spend my life making you happy too, Renji." she smiled.

As her words sunk in, Renji could not help but burst out laughing.

* * *

Byakuya sat on the railing of the porch around his quarters. Tomorrow would be an eventful day, and he was looking forward to it. A little excitement and happiness would be good for the people, and they would be able to fully enjoy the fact that the war was finally over. 

He took a sip of the sake that sat in his hand.

Byakuya never drank, it was not something that he did unless that situation demanded it. Even then, he would refuse if still possible. There was only one day a year that he drank, and always in the same spot, at the same time of day.

Today was the day that he had married Hisana.

Taking another sip of the sake, he tilted his head back against the wall, letting one of his legs swing off the edge. Looking over at the picture through the window of his quarters, he looked at her smiling picture from where he sat. He remembered the day that picture had been taken, she had been very flustered about wearing such expensive robes but delighted that he had them made especially for her.

He lifted his sake cup slightly, nodded his head, and took another sip.

_Your sister is getting married tomorrow to someone she loves._

Hisana was smiling down at him from wherever she was, he knew it. Byakuya smiled himself, and proceeded to down the sake in one gulp.

* * *

_I enjoyed writing this story a lot, it was always one of favorites and I'll miss writing for it. Thank you again for all the wonderful reviews and all the messages, I really appreciated them :D Since the beginning, this story became a lot more than I thought it would be. _

_The sequel will not be as long, and it is still in the works. All the original characters will be back, as well as some new ones that I hope everyone will enjoy. Until than, **Shadows on the Wall** is now online and ready for reading. While this was my Orihime/Ichigo story, Shadows on the Wall will be Orihime/Grimmjaw themed. There will also be something for the Hisana/Byakuya people out there. I have been dying to do a story about them for a while._

_There is a short epilogue after this chapter that is a interlude between Tatsuki and Muruguma. I hope you enjoy it. _

_Thanks again everyone. Keep safe!_

_Arigato,_

_Lilith_


	24. Chapter 24: Epilogue

_I had this chapter saved and completely edited, and then my computer decided to die mid-send and not save it. If I missed any errors, I apologize. _

_I hope everyone has enjoyed the story. This is the epilogue that takes place some time after the main story line. I wanted to do a chapter on Tatsuki, because she's not really shown a lot in the manga. This chapter is almost a oneshot, but it is involved with the main story line._

_Thanks for reading!  
_

_Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach_

* * *

Tatsuki Arisawa roamed about the karate dojo, picking up the last of the discarded towels and equipment. She had half a mind to start giving everyone a punch for every piece of junk she had to clean up at the end of the day. She was a teacher, not a maid. 

It had been a long day.

As she pulled the blinds to the main room shut, her mind began to float back to the better part of the last five months. Now that she had returned to her normal life, Tatsuki felt bored. While she was running around beating up Hallows and fearing for her life it had been easy to not think about what she would do afterward. Since she had settled back down, picked up the pieces of her life, Tatsuki was confused on where to go next.

Or what she was going to do, for that matter.

Leaving for the showers, she took a quick rinse, dressed, and packed her things to head back home. It was about a two mile walk to her apartment, but Tatsuki liked the quiet walk after a day of yelling and screaming.

Stopping next to the river, she stared at the calm water, and sat down.

_Five months._

It had been five months since Ichigo and Orihime had return to Karakura with everyone else. They were all okay physically, but Tatsuki doubted that the war would be forgotten for the rest of anyone's lives. As the city was being repaired, officials explained the events in the past few months as a massive break in the gas pipe system. The pipes broke, and blew up half the city. By now many of the structures looked good as new, and the city was almost rid of all traces of that horrible day.

Many people had been injured, some had died.

Tatsuki closed her eyes, and pulled her legs to her chest. It was something that she did not like to think about.

A few days after the war had ended, Orihime had moved in with Ichigo and they were helping each other. Tatsuki was happy for them, as she had been very worried for both of her friends. Orihime had a habit of bottling everything in and trying to deal with it on her own, and Ichigo was so expressive and sensitive that Tatsuki thought he would be damaged for life.

Her two friends were taking care of each other, as it should be. They were getting better, and slowly healing.

A new shrine appeared down the west end of the city, built by some unknown benefactor. To her surprise, Ishida Uryuu and the Shinigami woman Nemu had both taken residence in it. They had been assigned to monitor the reiatsu levels of the city, and keep alert if the Arancar made any further movements towards Karakura. They seemed happy enough and Tatsuki wished both the Quincy and the Shinigami good luck, as odd as the whole situation seemed.

She remembered going to Renji and Rukia's wedding. It had been happy and she had fun going to the Soul Society. Despite the fact that the environment had been new and strange, it had been enjoyable for her.

Two months.

It had been two months since she had seen Muruguma Hansei. They had hung around for a while after the war, and then his job of fixing up the city and doing damage control had taken him to dig himself into work. Tatsuki had not seen Muruguma for two months straight.

She was even more confused about this than the fact that she did not know what to do with her life.

If he did not want to call her, that was fine. If he did not have the same feelings she did, that was okay too. She just always figured that at least he should have the manners to tell her to take a hike instead of ignoring her.

"You're being silly, girl." Tatsuki stood up. His apartment was only a block away, and she was going to march right over to tell him to screw off. So what if she never got to...that was not a big deal. Respect was a big deal.

Marching up the stairs of the gray-wall apartment, Tatsuki banged on his door.

"Muruguma! Open up!"

He was in there, she knew it. When there was no answer, she banged once more, and then shrieked as the door was yanked viciously open.

A ragged, pale, dazed man stood in the doorway.

* * *

Hansei stared at the recent visitor standing n his doorway. 

For two months he had been holed up in his office and his house trying to deal with the police department and the fall-out from the war, he had barely slept or ate since his return from Hueco Mundo. After hitting the ground running, he had just recently been given a few days off. His superiors had finally told him that if he did not take a vacation they would handcuff him to the sink of his apartment to keep him there.

In the first couple days, he had gotten used to working to Arisawa Tatsuki. After getting to know her, they had worked together to try and piece the city back together with the rest of the population. When the police department was repaired and up again, he had been made to return to work at his office. His time with her had dwindled until he had not seen or heard from her in...he had forgotten how long it had been.

Hansei had been trying to sleep, and had woken up to voice a string of curses at the banging at his door. _What the hell did they want?_ If it was the deputies telling him to come back to the office he was going to take the nearest blunt object and bash them over the head with it.

It had not been one of the officers.

Tatsuki Arisawa gave him a surprised expression as he whipped the front door open. She was wearing a blue tank top and an ankle-length matching skirt. It looked as if she had just gotten off work at the dojo, her hair was still slightly damp from when she had taken a shower.

Her face melted into a look of utter displeasure.

"Look here, Muruguma-"

_Fuck that._

Tatsuki yelped once more as he grabbed her collar in a scruff grip and dragged her into his apartment, slamming the door behind her.

"What the hell-"

He kissed her, shoving her against the back of the door. It had been so long since he had seen her, and it had not taken him long to realize how much he had missed her, even less time to realize that he loved her. That spunky, loud-mouthed, tomboyish woman that he remembered kicking a Hallow straight in the mask.

"Muruguma!" she gasped as he ravaged her lips, having not even said a word to her yet, "Wait...Hansei!"

Whatever was going to happen, he was not going to let even a single hour go by without her knowing what he felt. She had not called in the time that he had started going back to that office, and he had been afraid that he had read her wrong. Her arms then dropped to her sides as he slipped his hand under her legs and hoisted her up the door. With her height above his, she looked down into his eyes in the dark background of the apartment.

"Did you say something?" he murmured, brushing his lips over hers, only pressing her back deeper into the door.

Tatsuki's eyes gazed down at his, and for that moment, she really did not give a damn about anything else. The whole world could have been blowing up and she would not have left that apartment.

"Nevermind."

Her fingers dug into his hair, and she kissed him back.

* * *

It was only a second, or that was what it felt like, before he dragged her down the hallway and dumped her on the unmade bed. Calloused but gentle hands divested her of clothes, and tossed them haphazardly into the evening dusk of the room. Tatsuki could not help but laugh out loud as he sat up to do the same with his own clothes. 

Laughter died down to a smile, and then a sigh as he settled over her.

She had not thought she would end up at this point from where she was thinking by the stream. All Tatsuki had thought about was giving him a talking to, but now she was laying beneath him in a mound of messy sheets, and all she thought about was how close she could get to him.

"I'm rough." he told her as he moved, careful not to hurt her. She was so tiny, and he had to be at least a head or more taller than her, not to mention close to seventy pounds heavier, "I lack any ability for tact."

"I noticed." she breathed into his ear.

"I'm not good with words, and I don't always say the right things." he said, brushing his lips over hers, and trailing them over her throat, "I offend people all the time without intending too."

"...yeah..."

"I..." he felt her heels dig into the back of his legs, "I don't always know what the right thing is to do."

"You're only human, Hansei." she brushed her hands over his face, his short hair was damp.

"But I do love you, and I want you to stay with me." he said, "I missed you, and I-"

She interrupted him by kissing his mouth, "I was waiting to hear that." she said, "Took you a damn long time to say it."

* * *

After, they lay in bed tangled in the sheets, she was resting on his chest. Hansei stared at the ceiling, wondering himself what she was going to do about him now. Tatsuki folded her arms over his chest and looked down at him. 

"Hey."

A smile crept across his face as he finally came to a decision and his ran his fingers through her short hair. He liked her hair, it was so smooth despite what someone might think. Glancing over at the clock he sat up, moving her to the side.

"Want dinner?"

"Sure."

Tatsuki watched him stand up, pull on a pair of shorts and black sweatpants, and disappear down the hallway. She lounged in the bed a moment before grinning to herself, and then got up. Finding one of his t-shirts on the floor, she pulled it on. It fell to her knees, and she paced out to the kitchen where she found him at the stove.

"You cook?"

"Why not?" Hansei raised his eyebrows at her, "It tastes better than take-out."

"Course." she beamed and sat the counter across from where he stood. Looking towards the window, she found herself staring at the starry sky. Just a little while ago, she felt alone. Everyone seemed to be running off with someone except for her. Ishida, Kurosaki, Orihime, Rukia...everyone. Sitting in the kitchen with Hansei made her feel like she belonged somewhere.

"Hey Tatsuki, wanna marry me?"

"Okay." she replied without thinking, "Wait, what?"

It was then that he laughed out loud, almost dropping the skillet in his hand.

"You can't take it back." he grinned, waving a wooden spoon in the air, his back still turned to her.

"You caught me off guard!" she jumped down from the stool and walking over to him, "I wasn't paying attention!"

"What? Want me to get down on one knee and ask?"

"Yes! Wait!...No, I mean-"

It had been a long time since she remembered being this confused. Here he was, asking her to marry him, and she was completely taken by surprise. Turning off the stove and setting the pan aside, Tatsuki followed him as he head down the hallway back to his room.

Hansei was chuckling to himself as she ranted. In the last couple months of not being able to see her, he had a lot of time to think through his own thoughts. Normally, he charged forward and took want he wanted. Taking his time had paid off in the end, and letting the both of them to decide how sure they were about each other worked in his favor.

Before his return to the office, they had spent almost every day together helping to rebuild the city. Other help had come from outside, but much of the construction was being done by Karakura alone. They had ate together, talked together, worked together...and it had become almost a normal feeling for them to be together. When he had started to fight the 4th Espada during the war, he had sworn to himself that he would be able to tell her how he felt if he lived through the fight.

But he still had...needed to think about it.

Tatsuki was still launched into a barrage of questions and comments as he calmly opened the top drawer of his dresser and began yanking things out of it. _Where was that damn thing anyway?_

The war was over now. Everything was peaceful, and now it was his chance to enjoy it.

"Hey, you!" she demanded, "Look at me when I'm talking to you!"

His hand brushed over something soft in the back of the dresser, and he smiled, "Ah, found it."

She watched him pulled something out, and Tatsuki folded her arms as he headed towards her.

"You should look at me when I'm talking to you, and stop smiling! Am I really that amusing? What are you doing-" she paused, and fell silent. He had taken her hand as she spoke, slipped on the golden band with the single diamond on her left hand, and tossed the box back in the dresser. She went pale, and then whispered so softly he could barely hear her, "...what's this?"

"A ring." he said, shoving his hands back in his pockets and walking back towards the kitchen. _Damn, he was hungry..._

She stared at it, absently following him, "You bought me a ring."

He smirked at her, and turned back down the hallway. Before he reached the kitchen he felt a pair of small, but strong arms lock around his waist. She wanted to tell him a lot of things, but at that moment she could not seem to say any of them.

They had each other now, he smiled to himself, as he turned around and held her. Something good came out of that long, terrible war. He would no longer have to wake up in that cold apartment alone. Neither of them would have to fight any more, or have to worry about someone trying to destroy the world, or have to think about the Arancar out to get them.

All they had to do now was simply live their lives.

"Come in the kitchen and I'll whip us something to eat." he said, smoothing a hand over her hair.

Tatsuki beamed at him, not really remembering the last time she felt this happy. Since the whole thing started back in high school with the Hallows attacking the school and when Orihime first left for Hueco Mundo, she felt like everything was really over and back to normal.

"Okay."

* * *

_This is dedicated to all the readers and reviewers ::as cheesy as that sounds:: because you guys keep me sane during those days of the week where school stresses me out. Thanks for all the wonderful reviews and for your patience. Five Years has by far been one of my favorite stories to write, and I was happy to share it with everyone._

_The sequel is out. At the beginning it may be slow to update, but it will pick up after a few chapters. If you enjoyed this story, head over and try reading the new fic. Thanks again, everyone! Send a review and tell me what you think. :D  
_

_Arigato _

_Lilith Rei  
_


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